If You are Lancelot, I am Guinevere
by BlushippingZutara
Summary: AU version of Code Geass. 1st Code Geass story. Rating for forced marriages and other things that come with war. Fem! Lelouch! She'd wanted to die but one boy and a little misinformation can really change your death plans.
1. Chapter 1

**BZ: This is an AU of Code Geass with significant changes. Basic backstory is provided here. First: Charles zi Britannia actually cared about his kids and not social Darwinism whereas his father, the 97th emperor of the HBE did care about that stuff. Second: Charles made an alliance with Japan instead of invading. Third: The Yakuza are the antagonists in this story. So that's the big ones. Oh and one more thing…Fem!Lelouch! I hope you enjoy the story!**

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><p>The buzzer rang and amethyst eyes glared at the clock by the chessboard, spitting fire.<p>

"From here on, you'll make your moves in twenty seconds or less," a man in a black suit said to the girl. Her long black hair fanned out over her back, coming to a stop at her hips. Her bangs fanned over her eyes. She was dressed in a plain pale violet kimono with a white obi around her waist. The man in front of her was dressed in a black suit with a red tie. She couldn't be any older than seventeen.

"I'm fine with that, what of you Reiko-sama?" The girl glared at him. A boy roughly the same age with brown eyes and blue hair looked over the board.

"Hey, Reiko-sama, let's just back out now, okay? You can't win this one."

"Ryo, how long do you think we'll need to return to the base before my husband's security notices our absence?"

"About twenty minutes if we bust our humps," Ryo said quickly. Reiko smirked.

"I'm fine with it, but the bet changes." The man raised an eyebrow. "If I lose, you win me for the night. If I win, I replace you on the mission after this."

"Fine by me. By the looks of the board, I'll be the victor. To think, a petty footman like myself gets the head man's wife for the night," he said with a self-satisfied smirk. 'Reiko' picked up her King and moved it forward.

"Enough talking. Make your move."

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><p>Ryo laughed loudly as he slung an arm around Reiko's shoulders.<p>

"Hey, eight minutes and thirty-seven seconds is a new record. You should be happy. Plus, you're getting out now, right?" The girl nodded.

"Rivalz, you and I both know there's only one way out of the Yakuza, so does everyone else. But through everything, you, Millay, Shirley and Nina have always been there for me. I just want you all to know that I'm really thankful for everything you guys have done," she said quietly, wiping at her eyes as she began tearing up. Rivalz wrapped his arms around the girl and squeezed her lightly.

"Lelouchia, you're our friend. You know we'd do anything for you, even this. Sure we'll cry a little when you're gone but we'll be happy for ya. You're gonna be free. After five years as that Takahiro Masamune's wife, you'll be free." Lelouchia pulled away from Rivalz and smiled at him. She reached up and cupped his cheek.

"Do you have those other things?" she asked. Rivalz nodded and pulled the backpack from his shoulder, handing it to the girl. "Rivalz, I'm going to die. I only need a shirt and some pants." The teen nodded.

"We know. But someone will find your body and some of the other Britannians want others out there to know they're still alive. This has a list of names of those still alive since the takeover and some even wrote messages to their families." Lelouchia nodded.

"Good-bye Rivalz," she said as she hugged her friend once more before running to the bathroom. The blue-haired teen watched her until the door shut. He bit his lip and turned away, headed outside to the motorbike with a sidecar for Lelouchia and put his helmet on. His movements were slow as he wiped at his eyes.

"Good-bye Lelouchia vi Britannia. I hope you find a way to live and be free," he said quietly as he swung his leg over the bike. Lelouchia stepped out of the building, dressed in a black t-shirt, dark jeans and sneakers, backpack slung over her shoulder and a black baseball cap hid her hair. Rivalz started the bike and drove away as Lelouchia climbed into the cab of a large delivery truck and saluted Rivalz. She turned the truck on and turned down the road as Rivalz drove the other way.

Lelouchia gripped the steering wheel in a white-knuckle grip as tears slipped out of her eyes and dropped onto her jeans, staining them darker. The sound of helicopters soon filled the air behind her and she smiled a little.

"I knew you'd try keeping an eye on your precious weapon, Masamune," she muttered quietly. The radio screeched.

"_Tohru, how's the weapon?" _came the voice over the intercom. Lelouchia turned off the intercom and smirked a little as the helicopters began to fire at the truck. She swerved off the road and skidded through the sand of a construction zone until the side of the trailer hit the side of the building. Lelouchia shook her head and stomped on the gas and the truck took off into the underground, abandoned subway.

"Next you'll send in your new foot soldiers. But by the time they find your precious weapon, Masamune, I'll have used it and I'll be dead." Her pinkie began to run up and down the leather seam of the wheel. "I'm sorry Nunna. I just don't have the strength to keep fighting like this."

The truck lurched forward as the front wheels got stuck in a large, deep crack in the floor. Lelouchia sighed.

"Not exactly the picturesque place to die, but I guess this is better than in a populated area in case this poisonous gas is more potent than I expected," she muttered as she stepped out of the cab. She pulled the backpack straps over both shoulders and walked to the trailer. The side had been torn off , revealing a ball-shaped capsule covered in silver spikes that served as locks. Lelouchia climbed up into the trailer and started looking around the capsule for some kind of opening or release mechanism, but to no avail. "You've gotta be kidding me," she muttered.

After a few more moments of futile searching, Lelouchia slammed her fist against the steel in frustration.

"You're supposed to kill me. So why won't you work?!" she screamed. "I tried my best, I broke, I put myself back together time and time again, I talked it over, I thought it through, I'm ready to die, I deserve to die, I should have died when I was young with my mother, my father, Nunna and all the others. So why? Why can't I just die already?"

A sound caught her attention and she snapped around in time to catch a foot behind her shoulder and have its owner kick her out of the trailer. Tiny loose stones embedded in her arm and side and skin peeled away under her weight as she slid across the floor.

"Wha-" A hand shoved her shoulder onto the floor and the arm pressed against her chest, pressing tiny stones into her back. She started clawing at the armored arm and pushed at the black helmet hovering over her. Her nails caught on the gas mask and yanked it off.

"Thats enough mindless murder!" the soldier barked as he grabbed her arm and slammed it onto the floor as red scratch marks appeared on the man's cheek and mouth.

"What are you-"

"The poisonous gas."

"I wasn't-"

"Don't lie to me! You're already caught so just give it up! Your little Yakuza friends-" Lelouchia snarled under her breath and began to thrash around until her cap fell off. The soldier's grip slackened enough for her to slip her arm out and both hands latched onto the armored shoulder pads and shoved the man away and got up herself, running back to the trailer, black hair sticking to the blood beginning to trickle down her arm.

"You think I'm Yakuza? I was using this to escape that nightmare!" The soldier stood perfectly still staring at her open-mouthed. "I was forced into a marriage when I was twelve, so if I was planning to use this thing to murder anyone, I was going to murder myself!"

"Lelouchia," the soldier said as he reached for his helmet. The girl stiffened. Under the dark helmet was curly chocolate-brown hair, deep emerald eyes and tanned skin. The person himself couldn't have been any older than Lelouchia herself. "Its me."

"Su-Suzaku?" the ravenette said. "You-You became a soldier?"

"It was either this or hide from the Yakuza all my life. I am Genbu Kururugi's eldest child."

"Yea but-" The locks on the capsule hissed quickly as they popped up and off one by one. The capsule split down the middle. Lelouchia's muscles clenched in excitement. Suzaku slammed into her, covering her mouth and nose with his gas mask and knocked them both to the floor as the capsule opened. Lelouchia grabbed his wrist and twisted her head until the mask came off her face and light flooded her vision. _"Please." _

But what came out of the capsule wasn't poisonous gas, but a girl who looked no older than either of the two teens. She had long pale green hair and beautiful golden-amber eyes that closed themselves once they locked with Lelouchia's. She was dressed in a white sack it looked like with black leather belts holding her arms against her body, limiting any movement in her legs and covering her mouth.

"That's not poisonous gas," Suzaku said. Lelouchia slapped her forehead.

"Thank you Private Obvious!" she said exasperated. "Now then, can you please get your elbow out of my..." The teen pulled his arm away from the girl's chest, a blush beginning to grow over his cheeks.

"Sorry." He stood up and offered a hand to the girl. Lelouchia smiled a little and took it, eyes becoming a little wet as his fingers wrapped tightly around her hand and he pulled her to her feet. She moved towards the truck and he squeezed her hand once before letting her fingers slip through his hold.

"You got married after you disappeared?" Suzaku asked as they began to remove the bindings on the girl. Suzaku unzipped the bottom, revealing loose pants and high-heeled boots.

"Either that and have ten years to choose to give myself to my husband before he did it by force, or just get raped then tortured to death."

"But you were twelve."

"I know that. But the Yakuza hardly cares who they hurt these days. I thought the takeover would've taught you that." Suuzaku's teeth clenched and Lelouchia's hand finished unclasping the last buckle on the girl's mouth and moved to pull it away. Her finger brushed the girl's cheek and a shock ran up her finger, through her arm and back and seared into the small of her back. She winced.

"What is it?" Suzaku asked as the girl started rubbing the spot.

"Nothing. Just static shock is all." The Japanese teen nodded and stood up just seconds before a bright light shone on the three of them. Suzaku stepped in front of the girls at the sight of the soldiers, colors washed black in the light.

"Private Kururugi, now may be a good time for an explanation," the leader said harshly.

_"Wait. If these guys are soldiers...then maybe..." _Lelouchia stood up and the distinct click of a gun rang in her ear. "Put your weapons away this instant!" she ordered.

"And just who do you think you are to order me around young lady?"

"Daughter of the late Emperor Charles zi Britannia and Lady Marianne, perhaps the only remaining member of the Britannian royal family, Princess Lelouchia vi Britannia. So I'll it once more, put down your weapons!" Suzaku moved so he stood more in front of her.

"She's telling the truth," he assured.

"Then explain to me how a Britannian princess, from our allied nation, became a Yakuza driver for a WMD."

"I volunteered to drive because I wanted to die. When you think you've lost everything, its easy to do. And I was kidnapped by the Yakuza and forced to marry the head five years ago." The man in charge flicked his wrist and Suzaku stiffened.

"Get down!" he yelled as he turned and started tackling her. A gun fired and Suzaku grunted. Lelouchia's head smacked against the floor with a sickening crack and her vision went entirely black. Her shirt had gotten caught in between pieces of Suzaku's armor and ridden up, revealing a bright red bird that stretched from just above one hip to the other, the wings dipped down somewhat so part of the bird's body was hidden by her jeans.

The color flashed like a light for an instant before Suzaku's arm slipped, covering the mark.

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><p><strong>BZ: So, how was that for a first chapter? Please leave a review!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**BZ: Hmm. Seems like I got a good first reception. I got a review from witch x warlock who says, "So in this story lelouch is a girl and his name was lelouchia? Anyway is there any love line here? Well this is not the first story i read that lelouch is a girl and his name was lelouchia. I really love how you write it and hoping you continue making this. I'm looking forward to it." Thank you very much, I highly appreciate it. And yes, there is a love line here which we shall see below. And no, this is not some thing I threw together at the last second. I was actually planning this. Please leave a review.**

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><p>"So are we having a bad day?" Lelouchia's eyes snapped open, only to clench shut at the light glaring in her eyes, causing the part of her head that she'd struck to throb painfully. She reached up and rubbed her temples as she sat up. She slowly opened her eyes to see bandages wrapped around her arm and could feel the edge of one on her temple.<p>

She was laying on a metal medical cot, one of at least eight. In front of her stood a man in a white lab coat, icy-blue eyes and wire-rimmed glasses. Next to him was a woman with deep indigo, shoulder-length hair dressed in a rusty-orange suit. She was bending over another one of the cots. She moved away and familiar curly brown hair came into view.

"Suzaku!" she yelled as she rushed to her feet, only to drop back onto the cot when the world seemed to tip to the side.

"You need to be careful about how quickly you move young lady. You hit your head pretty hard and may have a concussion. My name is Cécile. Will you look here please?" Lelouchia looked up and followed the woman's instructions as she shone a light in her eyes. "You seem to be alright. The sensitivity should be gone in a little while, the dizziness should be gone a little later. Now, can you tell me your name?"

"Lelouchia." The man's eyes widened a little as Lelouchia looked over at Suzaku. "Is he going to be alright?"

"Yes. He had this under his armor and it absorbed most of the bullet's force so he's only got some stitches, nothing too dangerous. So he should wake up soon." Cécile held something out to Lelouchia wrapped in a handkerchief. "Does this have any significance to you?" Lelouchia slowly unwrapped it and looked over an old-style pocket watch tied with a length of red satin. The glass was cracked and a few pieces were missing. The hands were frozen in place.

"Um...I would prefer not to say." She stood and placed the watch in Suzaku's hand, closing his fingers around it.

"Would you by any chance be Lelouchia vi Britannia, Princess of the Holy Britannian Empire?" the man asked.

"Lloyd! If she wanted us to-"

"I am," Lelouchia said quickly. Lloyd smirked.

"Your Highness!" Cécile said as she bowed her head. Lelouchia raised her hand.

"Please, at this point, we're of a similar rank Miss Cécile. Perhaps you over me even."

"Oh? And just how so?" Lloyd asked with a shrug.

"I'm married to the head of the Yakuza. Have been for five years now." Both the scientists raised eyebrows at that. "I was forced into it. That's why I was with Suzaku. I was trying to kill myself."

"What! But..." Cécile stopped herself.

"I have lost my parents, all my siblings, and for a while, thought I'd lost Suzaku. I have friends where I'm from...My backpack!" Cécile's eyes widened a little before she smiled softly, reached under a cot and pulled out the bag.

"This my lady?" Lelouchia nodded.

"Inside is a notebook filled with names of Britannians and Japanese who are still alive within the Yakuza base, as well as the names they're referred to inside the base and some even wrote messages to their families. I was hoping that someone could deliver the messages to the families." Cécile nodded.

"We'll get right on it," she assured. Lelouchia nodded as gunshots sounded in the distance outside.

"Where are we?"

"The Shinjiku ghetto," Lloyd answered as if he was discussing the weather. "The Yakuza have decided that since the bomb apparently didn't go off, they're going to come in and start killing whoever they can on their own."

"What?!" Lelouchia's mind started reeling. That meant her husband was near and if she took so much as one wrong step, he'd find her. Her hands began to shake and she sat down next to Suzaku.

"Its actually looking pretty good out there for your husband and his friends," Lloyd said in the same drawling tone. Cécile elbowed him in the side. Lelouchia looked up at the two, eyes wide and trembling.

"Please! You have to help me! If my husband finds out I was here, he'll torture me to death." Something hot landed on her hand but she ignored it. "Please! I'll do anything!" Lloyd smirked a little wider as he fished around in his pocket and pulled out a silver key to a KnightMare Frame.

"Well actually. We've got an opening for a KnightMare pilot, any interest?" Lelouchia gazed at the key as the man put it in her hand.

"May I have a moment to think it over?" she asked. Cécile nodded and she shoved Lloyd out of the truck and shut the door. Lelouchia almost smiled when she heard the woman scolding him. She turned back to the hand holding the watch and opened the fingers again so the back of the watch faced her. She pressed down on the bare back and twisted before sliding the thin sheet of metal off the watch revealing script underneath._ "To my beloved Suzaku on his 11th birthday. Love you always, your Lelouchia."_ she read. She sighed as she wiped at the tears still streaming down her cheeks. "You sentimental exercise nut," she muttered as she trailed her fingertips over his cheek.

His eyes fluttered open and his hand came up to press her palm to his cheek.

"There's a sight for sore eyes," he said with a smile. Lelouchia smiled and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"You really..." she chuckled and shook her head. The boy reached up and brushed at her bangs and wiped at a few tears.

"So, what now? I thought you and I were going to be getting married, not you and some party crasher," he poked. Lelouchia turned the key over in her hand.

"Not like I had much choice but I can join the army as a pilot. Other than that, I have no idea." Lloyd popped his head back in.

"Time's up princess! Made your decision yet?" Suzaku sat up, touching his stitched-up side tenderly as Lloyd walked over.

"Yes. I'll do it."

"Spectacular! Now our superiors say you're all set to start your infiltration!"

"Infiltration?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes. We told them of your spouse and they said you can join on as a field operative in the Yakuza base." Lelouchia's eyes widened.

"Did you tell them that just earlier today I was trying to commit suicide to escape these people?!" Lloyd made a face as if he was trying to remember.

"Must've slipped my mind," he said in his drawl. Suzaku's fist clenched.

"Hey, I may not be at your rank, sir, but even I know that a civilian should not be put in harm's way. Especially not when she's been trying to escape them for five years!"

"Suzaku..." Lelouchia said softly, placing a hand over his. "Its alright. I'll do it. If I have this..." She held up the key. "I'll make sure he gets his due. Its not just a key for some giant robot, its the key to my freedom." Suzaku sighed.

"There's no convincing you otherwise, is there?" Lelouchia shrugged but shook her head.

"Well Mr. Kururugi, if you're so concerned about the princess' safety, perhaps you ought to become her Knight." The two looked up at the man.

"But...its almost impossible for a Japanese to become a Knight. There's physical exams, intellectual exams, simulations..."

"All of which, you have passed at the top of the class of when you entered the military."

"Well that's convenient," the girl said as Cécile came into the truck with two small packages in her arms.

"If you two want to, I'll take Lelouchia into another truck to get changed. And Lloyd, the manuals." The man laughed aloud and pulled two small booklets from his pocket and a golden key from his other.

"Princess, you'll be piloting the Guinevere and Mr... or should I say _Sir_ Kururugi, you'll be piloting the Lancelot." Lelouchia giggled a little. Suzaku shot her a look.

"Just what is so funny?" he asked.

"I'll tell you after this." Cécile reached for the door as it was practically ripped open by a man dressed in a blue KnightMare pilot suit, with teal eyes and hair a pale shade of blue.

"Is what I heard true?!" he nearly roared. Lelouchia flinched before she chuckled a little.

"If you heard that I was still alive Jeremiah, then yes. Yes, I'm here." The princess curtsied as Jeremiah stared at her open-mouthed. "Daughter of the late Emperor Charles zi Britannia and Empress Marianne of the Holy Britannian Empire, last known heir of the Holy Britannian Empire, Princess Lelouchia vi Britannia, at your service mi'lord." The man practically dropped to one knee with an arm crossed over his chest so his fist was over his heart.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me." Lelouchia raised an eyebrow. "I was on guard the night your parents were killed. Had I not-" Lelouchia raised her hand for silence.

"Nothing will change the past. And I do not care about what people think happened that night. What I know is that my father, mother, younger sister and Kururugi Genbu were all shot to death before my eyes by Yakuza terrorists. And now, I have the chance to shoot back. Now, please rise Sir Jeremiah. At this point, you're of higher rank than I." The man stood but refused to meet the eyes of his Princess.

"Mi'lady, Yakuza or no, you are still a princess and your mother's daughter. My duty was to protect her and I failed. I request you allow me to protect you now."

"Very well. But only during times when I am fighting. Otherwise, I must be alone. My husband is not one to hesitate killing anyone he does not trust when they are near me. A Britannian falls right into his category of those who must be Purged."

"Mi'lady-"

"She agreed to act as an inside source on the Yakuza for us! Its quite easy saying her husband is the head!" Lloyd explained with a laugh. Jeremiah's eyes widened.

"It was the only option where I had at least ten years to come up with a plan and escape," she said dismissively before pushing past Jeremiah. "Now, I have to get dressed. If you want to protect me at all times good sir, join the Yakuza and earn my husband's trust." Jeremiah looked back at Suzaku who met his gaze with calculating eyes.

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><p>Lelouchia sighed as she pulled the zipper of her black under armor on. The material felt thin as she could still feel the cool air outside the clothes. But she knew that this kind of material was thick enough and strong enough to allow a bullet fired from a small caliber gun from 10 meters away to just leave a bad bruise. The disign on the outer layer was gold waves that matched the red mark on her lower back, which was exposed by the shortened back the outfit sported while her abdomen remained covered.<p>

_"Did you read the manual?" _Cécile asked through the communicator on Lelouchia's ear.

"Yep. A few times actually," she responded.

_"Show off," _Suzaku muttered as a zipper accompanied his voice. Lelouchia couldn't help a giggle.

_"Good job to both of you." _Cécile said as the princess climbed out of her truck and glanced at Suzaku –dressed in his white pilot uniform- as he did the same. Jeremiah pushed himself off the side of the truck and followed the two to their new KnightMares. Lelouchia began to tug on the tiny device as the black sheets were removed from the tell machines, revealing the two KnightMares to match the colors of their pilots. _"The only ones of their kind. Suzaku, Lelouchia, meet Lancelot and Guinevere." _Lelouchia gave her key a toss as the ropes lowered themselves to the ground so Suzaku and Lelouchia could get from the ground to the cockpit roughly three stories or so from the ground.

The Lancelot was humanoid in appearance with green eyes. Definitely looked masculine while the Guinevere had a skinnier-looking body and was rounder near the top and had bright red eyes.

_"You two will have to be careful. These aren't equipped with eject seats yet." _

"Thanks Miss Cécile," Suzaku said as he stuck his foot in the hole in the rope and gave two sharp tugs and began to rise. Lelouchia did the same as Jeremiah walked off to get into his Burland, a mix between the Japanese Burai and a Britannian Sutherland, containing all the endurance, strength and agility of the two models. What could have been called the left eye of the brown machine was covered in a bright orange metal patch.

Lelouchia stepped onto the tiny platform that would soon close as her door once she was seated. The seat looked like that of a motorcycle so she would have to lay out over it and the controls were attached to the walls. In front of the seat was a screen with a tiny place just under it for the key. The girl pushed her key in, slung her leg over the seat and took a grip on the launch controls. She typed in the access code as Cécile began telling various steps as they were happening.

Soon, she and Suzaku were given the green lights.

"Guinevere, activate M. E. Boost," she said as she slammed her thumb down on the launch button. Both Lancelot and Guinevere shot from their launch pads like bullets from guns. They crisscrossed before Lancelot moved towards the north and Guinevere towards the south.

_"We'll coral them into the middle of the city. There's two large buildings there that are abandoned. If they're clear, we can demolish them and use them to keep the Yakuza in place until we can arrest them," _Suzaku said.

"Right. Jeremiah!"

"_Yes mi'lady!" _

"Go to that part of the ghetto and make sure all the people there are evacuated. Call in every soldier if you must. I want no innocent casualties."

_"Understood." _The Burland broke away and sped to obey his Princess' orders. A few moments later, Lelouchia turned and reduced her speed as she moved through the barren streets.

"Nothing on my side. What about you two?" Static met her. "Suzaku? Jeremiah? Anyone? Come in." Suddenly, the Guinevere jerked to the side as a barrage of Burai bullets were fired into her side. "I'm under attack! Five or six visible units approaching from the east, probably more coming. Taking heavy fire! I could use some help here!"

_"Keep pouring it on!" _

"Hello?!"

_"Blow that thing to nothingness! Takaba! Where's that backup?!" _ She managed to lose her pursuers in the shadow of a half-collapsed building. The girl wiped at her brow as sweat began to accumulate there.

"When I get back, you're going to be put through the wringer with all these bugs," she muttered to the machine. "But I just heard Yakuza communications…could that mean…?" She began fiddling with the frequency controls on her screen until the Yakuza's Burais were plainly visible as something caught her eye on the ground; a blood-covered corpse on a young man in his twenties. Lelouchia recognized him from the Yakuza. He was one of the few who disagreed with the idea of the forced marriages among the Yakuza, Nagata if she wasn't mistaken. There was a radio in his pocket that would catch a few words every now and then and under him was a chess set.

Lelouchia opened the door and made her way to the man. She pulled his pale green cap over his face as she picked up the walkie-talkie and what pieces she could collect without disturbing the body.

_"Ohgi! I'll fight them off, you get the people out of here!" _the radio shrieked. Lelouchia's eyes widened as she climbed back into the KnightMare.

_"Kallen, the GlasGow can't take much more, can it?" _Ohgi asked. Lelouchia turned on the machine again and made her way up the building so to gain some altitude. Once she was high enough, she could see the entire ghetto, including an old, red, beat-up-looking GlasGow, an older KnightMare frame used by the Britannian military before the deaths of the Emperor and his wife. Lelouchia smiled nostalgically as she set the pieces up in front of her and the sound of a train coming rang through the ghetto. She pressed the button on her walkie-talkie and clicked her tongue.

"Ohgi, Kallen, anyone hear me?"

_"Who are you?! How did you get this channel?"_ Kallen yelled.

"I'm here to help. And it may do well not to say your names. What if these things are being tapped by the Yakuza?"

_"What do you want?" _

"Your trust. If you want to win, you have to trust me, understand, Q-1?"

_"Yea. Sure! I'll trust you." _

"Head to the western entrance and get on the rails. Lelouchia watched as Kallen obeyed her orders, headed right towards the oncoming train with two Burais behind her.

_"Now what?" _

"Jump on top, I'll handle your stalkers," Lelouchia assured. Kallen obeyed and the first Burai managed to stop the train right in front of Lelouchia's perch. The second one jumped to follow Kallen, only to get a barrage of bullets tearing it apart. The princess took aim at the second Burai and fired, only hitting its leg as it jumped up. The machine took aim as Kallen turned and shot her own weapon into the Burai, causing it to explode.

_"You saved me. But what are you piloting?" _

"Its called the Guinevere and it's the only model of its kind from Britannia." Lelouchia looked down at the tracks where a group of men were running towards Kallen. Lelouchia jumped down onto the top of the train as the men aimed their guns at her. Kallen got in the way.

_"Wait, she's been helping me!" _the girl yelled. Lelouchia pushed the door open again and made her way down to meet the people face-to-face. The leader, an older man in his thirties at least, dressed in a brown jacket with a gold star on his chest, jeans and an old rumpled gold sweater, stared at her open-mouthed.

"Ohgi Kaname, wonderful, to find a friend around here," she said with a smile.

"Reiko…" he breathed as Kallen pulled out of her GlasGow, revealing her small resistance pilot suit and short, spiky red hair and bright blue eyes.

"I go by Lelouchia here," she said calmly. "Why are you all here?"

"To defeat the Yakuza, what else?" Kallen snapped.

"Kallen!" Ohgi scolded.

"Its fine, I have no problems with her being like that. In fact, I'm working for the same thing and I'd like to help you."

"Help us?" Ohgi said.

"How are we supposed to trust you?!" yelled another of the group, a loud brown-haired man named Tamaki. "You're the boss' wife!"

"By force, not by choice. If I could have chosen, I would have chosen the son of Prime Minister Kururugi Genbu. He's here too, piloting another KnightMare. I haven't been able to reach him on my radio here but he's on the northern side of the ghetto. I also saw where the Yakuza are from my perch up there. I would guess they're broadcasting IFF codes on a separate channel from the one used by the Britannian-Japanese army. I would also guess this train is full of Burais we can use to find that signal and ambush them." A few of the men opened some of the cars and confirmed the princess' suspicions.

"But how are we going to tell the army we're on their side?" Ohgi asked. Lelouchia fitted her foot into the stirrup of the Guinevere with a smirk.

"I wasn't able to raise Suzaku or Jeremiah on the radio. I saw them from my perch coming this way. So they should be here soon. In the meantime, for safety sake, hide in the train and get your Burais ready. Kallen!"

"Yes?"

"You'll stay in your GlasGow. You'll be referred to as Q-1 over the radio." Lelouchia quickly assigned people a letter and number as she got back in her KnightMare –without shutting the door- and told them where they would go after Suzaku and Jeremiah arrived.

Soon enough, the brown and white machines stood on the tracks before the Guienevere. Lelouchia stood up and walked out to face them.

"My communicator won't work. It got tuned to a different frequency before we left!" she called. Jeremiah pulled out of his KnightMare. "I've got with me a group of people who oppose the Yakuza as well, but are not members of the army! What frequency are you guys on?"

"Try the fifth channel!"

"Is there one no one else is on?" Lelouchia asked as she tuned her communicator.

"I think channel six? Why?"

"Tell all the soldiers to focus on evacuations, ignore any and all other KnightMares, especially Burais. Set your KnightMare communicators to channel six and get ready to roll out." With that, the princess sat back down and shut the door. "Resistance, set your KnightMare communicators to channel six." She waited a moment before moving to her KnightMare communicator. "Who's here? Use code names."

_"Code names? What?"_ Suzaku asked.

"Lancelot for you and Orange for our other guy."

_"Q-1 here," _Kallen said. One by one, the resistance called in until they were all accounted for.

"Alright. Everyone have their orders? Then move out!" The Burais sped off to their assigned places, leaving the Burland, Lancelot and Guinevere alone on the tracks.

_"What now my lady?" _Jeremiah asked.

"Call me Guinevere. We don't know if these channels are being intercepted by the enemy. For now, we'll head to the outer rim of the ghetto and herd the enemy towards our men. All good?"

"_Understood," _both men said over the communicator as the three KnightMares screeched down the rails, sparks flying in their wake.

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><p><strong>BZ: And that's chapter two. Did anyone get how Lelouchia and Suzaku are more similar to the namesake of their KnightMares? For those who didn't, Lelouchia will explain it next time! Please review!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**BZ: Hello everyone! We've got four new reviews! Two from the same person. One I will not be posting due to language and I already responded to the person. So first, we've got Suki Akari who says, "Yes, i get why. if you read the story, you see that Lancelot is having an affair with Guinevere behind Arthur's back. btw, when will Arthur come and scratch our Lancelot?" Thank you for your review. And Arthur will be scratching and biting our favorite Lancelot very soon, either this chapter or the next one. Now we've got two from another reviewer who I apparently can't write in because my documents won't save it. **

** This person's review: Yakuza? A yakuza can control the nation? A bit weird... If it was control by a resistance force or a private army I understand but a yakuza? Nice chapter... But as I say... A private army or a resistance with heavy firepower I'm ok but yakuza? Not that I hate yakuza, I'm actually a big fan of the traditional yakuza... But yakuza with heavy firepower is not yakuza...**

**BZ: Well, more like the Yakuza control a certain part of a nation by holding at least a hundred teenagers hostage as forced members or forced wives. They really control the Ashford Academy campus and gain their Burais by forcing some of the kids to build them. And this is not traditional Yakuza, they are every Yakuza family forged into one fighting force with one head boss. They also get help from the Russian mob, Italian Mafia and Britannian gangs, thus all their firepower. ****Ready for the next chappie now? Enjoy!**

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><p>Lelouchia sighed to herself as she twirled the blood-stained Queen piece between her fingers, the object leaving red in its wake. The other pieces were spread before her in a manner only she really understood. Her eyes were watching her screen intently as several of her husband's Burais moved about frantically, trying to escape the Burais under Lelouchia's command as they took out unit after unit.<p>

"Q-1, hold your position. N group, do the same until Orange arrives. He'll direct you from there. B-1, P-5 fire a chaos missile over the wall twenty meters ahead." She sighed and sat back, rubbing at a stiff part of her neck. "This is more tiring than I thought it would be," she muttered as she moved a few pieces.

_"Well, you're doing well for a first time commander," _Suzaku encouraged over the communicator. The ravenette smiled.

"Thanks. But we'll need more than just good to beat Masamune. Most of that is resources I know the BJA doesn't have," she commented.

_"Guinevere, the enemy's stopped near my position," _Kallen called over the line.

"Alright. Do you have a map of the old town?"

_"Yes. But there's no current landmarks," _the girl said, beginning to get frantic.

"Calm down Q-1. What you have will be fine, alright?" The redhead sighed over the line and made a noise of affirmation. "Good. Now then, continue broadcasting your signal where you are but get underground."

_"On it!" _Lelouchia tapped her fingers on her seat as she watched the screen.

"Everyone, hold your positions, understood. Its their move now so just wait for my orders." Lelouchia leaned back a little and stared at the blips on the screen. _"Come on Masamune. Make your move. If I can end this here, I can free my people." _The blips began to move, closing in on Kallen's signal. Lelouchia's shoulders dropped as her jaw did the same in utter disbelief.

_"What are they doing?" _Suzaku asked as Lelouchia slapped her forehead.

"I knew he was stupid but I never expected him to make such a stupid move!" the princess groaned. "Q-1, are you in position?"

_"Yes ma'am. What now?" _

"Turn and fire at the ceiling." Instantly blips began to vanish from the screen, meaning the pilots were either dead or had ejected. Lelouchia chuckled to herself. "I knew we'd win this. Congratulations everyone, we've won the day." A collection of cheers filled the line and the princess smiled. "Now then, everyone report to the BJA and head for home. I'll be along after the casualties are counted."

"_Lelouchia?" _Kallen asked.

"I want to know if Masamune is among the dead."

_"Understood. We'll wait for your word back home," _Ohgi said as Lelouchia's rag-tag army left the ghetto.

"Lets get a moving Lancelot, Orange," she said as she sped down the street.

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><p>The ravenette chewed on the end of her thumbnail as Britannian soldiers began to come back from the death counting. Suzaku sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Jeremiah stood off to the side, watching each soldier intently. All three were awaiting the news that would finally liberate the young Britannian from the Yakuza. Cécile had suggested they stay inside a truck just to be sure that if Lelouchia's husband somehow managed to survive, she wouldn't be seen.<p>

After a while, Lelouchia's head sunk into her hands and she sighed to herself.

"Wonderful," she groaned quietly. Suzaku's grip tightened on her shoulder a little. "He's not among the dead. I just know it."

"Don't be such a pessimist," Suzaku chided. A knocking sounded at the door. "See? That could be it." Jeremiah opened the door cautiously.

"Sir, you should come see this," a Britannian soldier said. Jeremiah looked to his princess as she stood up and immediately walked out, the two men following her.

Dozens of civilians were staring up at a tall building, women were covering their mouths or the eyes of any child near them while men were talking among themselves. Soldiers were keeping the people back but Lelouchia managed to push past them. On top of the building was a purple blur, faintly human, screaming at someone probably behind them. The ravenette could make out tall white boots and blonde hair.

Suddenly, the person lurched back, slipping off the building. Women began to scream and men began pushing them away. Lelouchia's eyes widened in shock as the voice clicked in her mind, memories rushing to her like water after a dam breaks apart. An arm wrapped around her shoulders and yanked her into a white-clad shoulder. A hand cradled the back of her skull, keeping her in place gently but firmly. Her hands latched onto the back of Suzaku's suit as she began to tremble and the person's screams were silenced, replaced by at least a dozen cries from the bystanders.

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><p>"Lelouchia!" the ravenette winced as a rolled-up newspaper met with her skull, snapping her out of her thoughts. Lelouchia looked up at a young blonde woman in a blue kimono with bright blue eyes, tapping the rolled-up newspaper in question in her palm. Lelouchia sighed and rubbed at her eyes before looking down at the black kimono she wore with a red obi belt and flowers outlined in crimson around her neck.<p>

"Sorry Milly. I just..." A pale hand placed itself on Lelouchia's and the girl looked over at the red-head next to her, dressed in a green kimono. Rivalz sat next to her in a black suit and a rumpled white button-up shirt.

"You saw something on the outside, didn't you?"  
>"Shirley," hissed a green-haired girl in a grey kimono. She wore a pair of thin glasses on the edge of her nose that enlarged her grey eyes.<p>

"You can't say you're not curious too, Nina," Shirley said and the girl retreated back to the computer in front of her, cheeks burning red. The Britannian princess bowed her head and sighed. "So, what was it?"

"...Clovis..." she muttered.

"Your brother Clovis?" Millay asked. Lelouchia nodded.

"He's dead," she said harshly as her fist clenched. "Killed by the same man who pulled the trigger on my parents and on Nunnally." The council members looked at each other. It was rare that Lelouchia would talk of her family or of their killer. The masked man the Yakuza had the habit of calling 'The Man of Miracles' for sending the entire Britannian Empire into utter chaos overnight. To the Britannians and Japanese, he was 'Maou', 'Demon King', 'Grim Reaper'. However, to himself, he was Zero, nothing and no one while being everyone and everything.

The black mask, ringed with five horn-like spikes and a large purple spot covering the entirety of the face, had haunted Lelouchia's mind and nightmares for years. The moment of her parents' deaths replaying behind her closed eyes during her waking hours. After she'd been separated from Suzaku, the man looming over the younger Japanese boy, gun ready to fire, had haunted her nightmares until she'd returned from the Shinjiku Ghetto.

"Do you need some time?" Milly asked. Lelouchia shook her head.

"But I did see someone else..." A small smile appeared on her face. The council leaned in to listen. "I saw Kururugi Suzaku."

"The son of the Prime Minister?" Shirley asked. Nina stiffened and wrapped her arms around herself. Lelouchia nodded.

"I can't say anymore on the subject. But I can tell you this, we've got a good chance now."

"Want us to tell the others?" Millay asked. Lelouchia nodded.

"Tell them we have hope now. If Clovis was able to escape the bloodbath back then, I wouldn't put it past at least Cornelia and Schneizel to escape. I know I have family living out there, somewhere." The members of the council smiled at each other.

"Well, as much as I hate putting a damper on the mood," Milly sighed. "We need to figure out the budget issues before our husbands come in demanding what's going on." Rivalz looked down at his feet, as if ashamed. He was forced to enlist in the Yakuza as a messenger. Once he reached twenty, he'd be forced to select a wife from those available within the walls of the Yakuza stronghold.

Milly placed a hand on his shoulder, although she looked just as ashamed. Her grandfather had built the school and enrolled every child inside as a student when the Yakuza first killed the Imperial family. Lelouchia was the only one who'd been brought in with the Yakuza, as she'd been on the run with Suzaku for two years before she was caught. Milly's grandfather and several members of faculty had died trying to keep the Yakuza out, the survivors either forced into marriage or service. A handful had returned to teaching as several of the Yakuza had decided not to wait for their ten-year deadline and impregnated their forced wives, thus the Yakuza had their first generation of kindergarteners at this point.

The door slammed open and Milly leapt away from Rivalz and everyone shot up to their feet as three men, ranging from twenty-five to thirty walked in. The youngest walked to Shirley, grabbed her arm and yanked her along behind him. The eldest grabbed Nina by her twin braids and she followed quickly, trying not to cry out as her husband yanked her along. Milly bowed to her own husband and followed him like a proper wife of the Yakuza; silent, head bowed and hands clasped in front of herself. Rivalz looked to Lelouchia as a final man walked in.

He was dressed in a white Navy officer uniform with badges pinned to his chest. His black hair was mere stubble on his head and his brown eyes glanced at his wife down the slope of his crooked nose, a small gift from said Britannian on the first night he attempted to grab her arm. He, however, had retaliated time and time again with grand shows of his power and how no one was safe from his influence. Whenever a Britannian refused to join his ranks or be wed into them, Lelouchia was always a witness to their payment for such a crime.

But no matter what he did to her, those eyes of hers always burned with a dark, violent, angry flame. One that could never be extinguished. They defied him, challenged him, threatened him and spited him on more than one occasion.

"We have a new recruit. You'll come with me now, Reiko." Her eyes narrowed, silver sparks flying through them like a meteor shower. The man's eyes narrowed as Lelouchia's hand clenched onto her chair.

"This is _your _business Masamune. It has nothing to do with me. We were hard at work on the budget until you walked in and dragged out most of my council. You and your men constantly say our place is to make sure 'our' people believe this life to be normal. How are we to do that with your men dragging their wives by the hair when we're in the middle of our business?" Masamune's eyes narrowed further.

"Just come along. The budget can be dealt with afterwards." Lelouchia's arms crossed themselves over her chest.

"I demand to be allowed to return to my room to collect some things. I know how your initiations work," she said harshly. The man turned his back to her.

"My sister shall bring you with her then. And you'll be kept in my office until the time for the initiation comes, understood?"

"Fine by me," she snapped as Masamune shut the door behind him.

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><p>Lelouchia sighed as she sat down on her bed and pushed her hair from her face. A young woman in a grey kimono was rushing about the room, packing a bag with clothes and other needed things for an overnight stay. Masamune's idea of the initiation was to have the initiates sit in the room from sunset to nearly sunrise, when he would come to them and, as per normal Yakuza ritual, exchange cups of sake. He claimed it symbolized that with the sunset, their old lives died and as the sunrise gives birth to a new day, the initiates were reborn as true Yakuza members.<p>

The woman had short black hair, pale skin and beautiful brown eyes and would smile kindly, if somewhat sadly, at Lelouchia as she passed by the girl. At first, Lelouchia had thought this woman a threat until she'd stood up to Masamune in her stead and showed she could keep her brother at bay. Sayoko was among those against the forced marriages in the Yakuza but as a woman, could do nothing to fight her elder brother.

"My lady, is there anything more you may need?" Sayoko asked as she finished packing.

"Yes, a way to get information outside these walls without being killed." Sayoko chuckled softly.

"Only Nii-sama is able to do that sort of thing. If you want that kind of power, he has to give it to you."

"But right now, my defiance of him is preventing that?" The woman nodded. Lelouchia nodded in response. "What do I do to earn his favor in such a way?"

"Aside from letting him..." The princess nodded. "I'd say act like a proper, willing wife. Apologize for your years of disrespect and spite, praise the Yakuza's accomplishments, spit upon the Britannian name, thank him for removing such a sin from your soul, all that kind of nonsense he keeps going on and on about," Sayoko said sarcastically.

"I'm being serious." Sayoko stared at the girl in shock.

"My lady, you-"

"I've become a spy for the BJA," she whispered. "And they need my information on him and his activities. I cannot do that without making a sacrifice of some sort. If I must act like a child clinging to him, then I will. But I will not allow the suffering of my people to continue in this manner." Sayoko sighed and shook her head.

"There's no stopping you, is there?" Lelouchia shook her head as Sayoko took her hand gently in her own.

"Sayoko, you've been a good friend to me these past five years and a key ally. If you do not wish to continue alongside me in the battles to come, I will understand." Sayoko wrapped her arms around her sister-in-law.

"Masamune is mad with delusions. The moment he forced you to become his wife, he ceased to be my brother. The moment you accepted me as your friend and ally, you became my sister. I will stand by you until the bitter end or until Masamune meets his justice, whichever comes first." Lelouchia nodded and hugged Sayoko back.

"Thank you," she said softly.

* * *

><p>Lelouchia glared at the door as the sound of a lock clicking shut rang through the room. Sayoko was put in a different room so the Britannian was alone in her husband's office. The windows provided a view of Yakuza-controlled Tokyo. Masamune had placed a key member of his inner circle as something like a viceroy over the area. She knew almost every person out there had willingly chosen to become Yakuza or marry into the group. Ashford Academy was simply a school to train Britannian and Japanese minds that the Yakuza's way of life was paradise. But if there was anyone in Tokyo she didn't know, they were new recruits, the initiates for tonight or simply family members of current Yakuza, coming to see a preview of what their life could be. If they chose to stay, Lelouchia would be back in this room for another initiation.<p>

It was a constant cycle and one she grew quite tired of very quickly. She started looking at a few of the Japanese proverbs hanging around the room, trying to remember the kanji she'd learned from the former Prime Minister.

The door opened and the Britannian snapped around to face the red-faced Yakuza member, breathing heavily against the door. His eyes glanced over her.

"Ya dang Brit," he slurred. Lelouchia began to back away and when she bumped against the wall, her hand fumbled with the lock for the window. The man stumbled into the room, swaying from side to side and even tripping over Lelouchia's suitcase. The girl threw the window open, grabbed hold of the curtain next to her and pulled herself out. "Ge' back 'ere!" the man yelled as he pushed himself to his feet. Lelouchia looked down at the sidewalk as a young man walked towards the building. She released the curtain.

"Look out below!" she called as she fell. The descent came to a sudden, jolting halt as the person caught her. "Thanks for that," she muttered as she gave her head a shake.

"Two days in a row you try killing yourself. Should I be getting concerned?" a familiar voice asked. Lelouchia looked at the boy, dressed in dark clothes, a blue full-length jacket and a pair of dark sunglasses covered his eyes but the unruly curly hair was hardly unrecognizable with the joking smirk the boy wore.

"Suzaku," Lelouchia whispered as the boy set her on her feet and picked up the kit bag at his feet. "What are you doing here?"

"Taking Jeremiah's advice and joining the Yakuza. But by the looks of things, I should probably just steal you away somewhere." Lelouchia chuckled.

"It was one of Masamune's men who tried attacking me up there. I jumped to try to escape him. And at any rate, do you really think its as easy as just walking in there and saying you want to join the Yakuza to become an initiate?" Suzaku shrugged and Lelouchia slapped her forehead. "You... nevermind. Let's just go. I want to talk, privately." The boy nodded and followed the Britannian away from the building.

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><p>Lelouchia finally came to a stop in the middle of a wooded park. The trees were dense enough that no one could see them.<p>

"So what-" Lelouchia threw herself against the teen and kissed him as hard as she could. She felt him smile and kiss back for a moment. The fingers of Lelouchia's one hand began to tangle in his hair as the other hand pushed his sunglasses up, away from his eyes. His arms wrapped around her, one gripping her hips in a strong grip and the other moved up to cradle her head in his hand. The two pulled away, slowly but touched foreheads and smiled warmly at each other. "May I ask what that was for?"

"For being so willing to join the Yakuza. But you do realize each of these men have proven their worth and loyalty. What could you have offered?" Suzaku pulled a USB drive from under his shirt.

"These are specs of KnightMares that have been proven unsafe for one reason or another, often resulting in the death of the pilot. They were never leaked or released to the public. So, I just say they're the next generation and let your husband do what he likes with them." Lelouchia smiled and rested her forehead against Suzaku's shoulder.

"Seriously, you..." she said as Suzaku gripped the girl in his arms a little tighter.

For a little while they stayed like that until Suzaku looked up at the bloody-amber skies.

"We should head back," he said solemnly. Lelouchia tightened her grip on his jacket and stayed rooted to the spot.

"I say we wait until morning. Think on it this way, you and I run into each other, apparent strangers. My husband knows I don't trust easy. But if you manage to keep up with me and keep me out of trouble until morning, you're more likely to be moved up. And he's been trying to find someone who can keep an eye on me at all times. And if you had managed to 'teach' me how to be more proper..."

"We can have an excuse to vanish and pilot when we need to without arising too much suspicion." Lelouchia nodded, smiling warmly at her betrothed. He combed his fingers through her long black hair that looked so similar to her late mother's only a little straighter. "However, I don't know how well that will work." Lelouchia cocked her head a little. "You're _my _betrothed. I don't know how I'd react to seeing another man claim to be your husband." The girl giggled a little at the playfully evil glare he sent her.

* * *

><p>The two sat down against a tree and Suzaku pulled his jacket over them as the stars began to appear.<p>

"Remember when we were little and we would wander into the garden after bedtime just to try to find late-night fireflies and shooting stars and all that?" she asked. Suzaku nodded as his fingers began combing her hair again absent-mindedly.

"And after our parents died, when we couldn't sleep, we'd try counting the stars we could see," he said against her temple. She nodded. "Tell me, what have you been up to the past five years?"

"Mainly fearing my husband having more than he should drink and not waiting the full ten years. A few men have done that already. We've got a batch of kindergarteners already. Then there's trying to be a source of comfort and hope for those in there against their will, dreaming of beating my husband into a bloody pulp, the like. You?"

"Dreaming of finding you again and beating those who took you away into bloody pulps, taking down individual Yakuza members, and being enlisted by my cousin and those old Kyoto house geezers. They kept insisting it was the easiest way to find you and if I, the former Prime Minister's son, took up arms against the people who murdered my father, the war would be over sooner because more soldiers would join the fight. But that's not what we need. What needs to happen, is someone has to have the guts to go in and put down the law. The proper law, not this...crap the Yakuza keeps spilling for propaganda."

"Yet you're planning to join the Yakuza?"

"Propaganda for Britannia apparently. Something about a 'Romeo-Juliet story' or whatever, however, I see some major flaws in that. Like how Romeo never joined the Capulets and the Capulets were no Mafia or whatever." Lelouchia smiled and snuggled into his chest. "But really. I also thought after a few years, I wasn't going to find you. But then you showed up out of no where, trying to kill yourself because you thought you lost everything. Maybe I just wanted to keep being able to remind you that you hadn't."

"I know that. Just needed a good kick to the backside to remind me of that," she joked as he kissed her temple.

"Good night princess," he said, as if partially annoyed.

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><p>Lelouchia woke up to something warm on her legs. She blinked in confusion as she looked down at a small dark grey cat with a black spot over his eye that lay curled up on her and Suzaku. She cocked her head a little.<p>

"What in the world?" Suzaku shifted a little as he woke up and stretched his back a little.

"What is it?" he yawned. His hand fell next to the cat and in a blink, the cat sank his teeth into Suzaku's hand and the teen flinched as the feline flicked his tail from side to side and looked like he was grinning.

"Does that hurt much?"

"Greatly," Suzaku growled under his breath.

* * *

><p>Masamune glanced at Suzaku over the table and occasionally flicked his gaze over to Lelouchia and Sayoko next to him.<p>

"So...the son of the Prime Minister wants to join my ranks?" Suzaku smirked coldly.

"Lets see. Join the Yakuza willingly and do whatever I like, or stay with the Japanese and be re-enlisted into an army for propaganda. Which would you think I'd choose?" He pulled the USB out from under his shirt and began twisting it between his fingers before putting it on the table and sliding it towards Masamune.

"What is this?"

"Specs I managed to grab for the next generation of KnightMares like the two that showed up in the ghetto the other day." Masamune raised an eyebrow.

"Let me get this straight, you managed to gain my wife's trust, keep an eye on her, and obtain new KnightMares for my men and I? Rather accomplished for a 17-year-old boy, wouldn't you say?"

"You doubt my abilities sir?" Masamune shook his head.

"However, I understand you were arranged to marry Lelouchia vi Britannia, can you really work in the Yakuza knowing it was our men who killed her and her family?" Suzaku shrugged dismissively.

"It was an arranged marriage sir. And if it really bothered me, would I be able to sit here so calmly? The Britannians had the gall to believe themselves worthy of the Sakuradite we control. And they planned to use me as a stepping stone for that. So tell, me, what love could I _possibly _hold for that accursed nation?" Masamune smirked and snapped his fingers. A girl ran in and put two cups on the table and poured sake into both. The two took a drink and exchanged cups before finishing the drinks off.

"Welcome to the Yakuza, Kururugi-san," Masamune said with a smile. "You'll be positioned as my wife's personal guard and if you require more men to work with you, just tell me, understood?" Suzaku bowed his head.

"Arigato, Takahiro-sama." Masamune stood up and Sayoko and Lelouchia followed his example. The Britannian shot a look at Suzaku, who smiled a little at her.

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><p>Masamune sighed as he dropped into a chair.<p>

"I'm going to have a hangover after this," he muttered as Sayoko ran off somewhere, leaving Lelouchia and her husband in the room alone. The girl took a deep breath and knelt down next to her husband's chair, catching his attention. "Reiko?" She took another deep breath and bit her tongue, put her hands on the floor and bent down so her forehead nearly touched the floor.

"I'm so sorry!" she cried. _"Dang it! Can't believe I'm actually doing this! Lloyd, whoever your superiors are, they owe me big time!" _she thought to herself.

"Reiko?"

"I- I've been nothing but a spoilt brat ever since we were married. But last night, Kururugi-san showed me what my life could have been had you not found me. For five years, you've fed me, clothed me, let me have as many liberties as I desired, and despite all that, I've treated you like trash. So for my actions for the past five years that ever disrespected you, spited you or even offended you at all...I'm so sorry!"

A large, rough hand placed itself on her head and she looked up at the man, who was staring at her shell-shocked.

"Reiko...does that...?" She shook her head.

"I do not believe I am quite ready yet, nor nearly mature enough to become a mother. But I promise, I will do whatever it takes to please you and make you proud to call me your wife until then," she said with a large smile. He returned the gesture before standing up.

"It's getting late. Get some dinner then do as you will," he said as he left the room.

"Have a good night, Masamune!" she called. Once his footsteps faded away, she sighed. _"Man, I fell like I need to bleach my insides, especially my brain for coming up with this plan!" _

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><p><strong>BZ: How was that? Awww, Arthur! BTW, anyone else feel the need to punch Masamune for some reason or another? I kinda do, so maybe I'll just have Jeremiah do it. But we'll see you next time. Please review!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**BZ: We have a review! From the same person as last time and still, I cannot get their name in because my computer won't save it! **

**This person's review: It's good you focus on character development in this chapter but you also have to focus on the background of this story... Such as how the yakuza came to power... How strong are they, who leading them. What do other nation do. Why is the world in such state, how did all character end up at their state and such...Background or back story is important to set up a base for a story.**

**BZ: Okay...I was planning that more of Yakuza and BJA be revealed as the story hoes on. Alright? Who is next? Ah! **

**Guest: Every Yakuza family joined together under one boss? Nope. Never. I question if you even know what "Yakuza" actually is. Try doing some research, especially if the Yakuza are going to be a continuous presence in your story, it'll lend a lot more realism to your plot.**

**BZ: Umm...we're talking about a world in which Washington's rebellion failed, the British empire changed its name to Britannian, covers North and South America, conquered ten areas before japan and then seven after that, where the army is running around in giant robots, and most of the clothes of the royalty look like they popped out of a strange Jane Austin time when this is set about three years in the future...Yea. Not too realistic to me. But I will make things clearer here.**

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><p>Lelouchia growled to herself as she scanned the book in front of her. Milly noticed and turned to the girl.<p>

"Something wrong, Reiko-nee-san?" she asked as loud whoops and cheers began to filter up the stairs and into the parlor where Lelouchia, Milly, Shirley, Nina and many other girls were situated. All in kimonos, sipping tea and some had hair tied back in traditional buns. Those girls had joined the Yakuza as wives before the takeover and were fiercely loyal to their husbands. Some of the girls were cradling babies or playing with their children, or even rubbing their hands over their swollen bellies.

Lelouchia looked up from her book and shook her head.

"Nothing, Miko-chan. Simply doing some research and I can't seem to find what I'm looking for."

"What would that be, Reiko-nee-san?" asked an older woman. A streak of silver was in her hair, swirling through her bun and she looked down at the two girls like they were two dead rats curled up in her path.

"Ah, Haruko-san. I was just looking into...how our grand husbands were able to obtain enough power to throw a power like the Britannian Empire into absolute chaos in a single night," Lelouchia said with a smile. Haruko cocked an eyebrow at the two, looking like a disagreeable principal trying to catch students in a lie.

"I've never heard you discuss our husbands in such a manner, Reiko-nee-san. What brought on the change of heart?"

"Gratitude and finally growing up," Lelouchia said with a smile. Haruko knelt down next to the girls.

"Is that so? Then what is your opinion of Britannians?"

"They are swine who believe themselves to be gods among men. And as for Britannia itself, nothing but a nation rotten by years of fattening its gluttonous people and corruption." The woman smiled, wrinkles in her cheeks being highlighted by the movement.

"My, my. To think a single night in the cold would change you so much..."

"Haruko-san, do you know anything? I want to learn I can on my own in order to appreciate my husband to the greatest extent." Haruko nodded, bowing low as she did.

"I would be honored to teach you. Now you do know that it was Zero who killed the royal family, correct?" Lelouchia nodded.

"What I don't understand is how. The Yakuza we have now, are only three families and totals roughly 103,000 members worldwide. How did we get so much power?"

"We have the Russian Mob and Italian Mafia to thank for that. However, those men are just so pathetic. Give them some street urchins, drugs and money and they'll roll over like dogs if you told them to. And as for the security, never underestimate Zero. This is the man who organized the three families and brought them to your husband. Had he not enlightened us of the filth this world has, we would still be running around, fighting between each other and only heaven knows what else."

"And in a single night, he brought an end to the entirety of the Britannian Imperial family...even the babies..."

"Such extremes were necessary. Those children had been born from the sickliest of swine. The only reason the entirety of Britannia isn't smoking ruins at this point is because when Zero gave control to your husband, he believed and still believes that you all can be raised to a greater life, a grander life. And it seems you've already begun your journey on the path of redemption, Reiko-nee-san." Reiko bowed to Haruko.

"Arigato, Haruko-san. I will eternally be grateful for your wise teachings." Haruko stood and walked away to sit with her own daughter and grandchildren.

"Mind explaining what that was?" Milly hissed.

"Earning trust," Lelouchia whispered back before bending forward, clutching her stomach.

"Le- Reiko-nee-san?!" Milly cried, dropping her teacup to the floor.

"What is it?" asked another girl. Lelouchia sat up a little.

"My apologies, but I'm not feeling well right now. Miko-san, will you come with me to my room?" Milly nodded quickly and helped the girl up and she continued her groaning as if she were mere moments from vomiting.

"We'll tell your husband when he comes for you," called one of the women as the girls vanished into the hall.

* * *

><p>Lelouchia sighed a little as Milly shut the door.<p>

"So what did you mean by earning trust?"

"We aren't going to make any escape progress around here unless we earn the trust of our husbands. And by acting stubborn and 'ungrateful' as they say, that's not going to happen."

"Got ya. I'll tell the other girls. And some are asking how there's hope. What should I tell them?" Lelouchia smirked.

"Tell them I've got some friends on the other side." Milly smiled and left. Lelouchia stretched and got off the bed as she pulled out a small pale purple nightgown and began untying her belt. The door opened and she yanked her kimono around her tightly.

"Ever heard of knocking?!" she snapped.

"S-sorry. Just…your husband passed out from all the drinking and I was sent to bring you to your room and then…some of the girls said you went to your room not feeling well and…" Lelouchia chuckled a little as she glanced over her shoulder. Suzaku stood in the doorway, back to her but his ears were turning the lightest shade of pink.

"I'll be dressed in a sec. Alright?" Suzaku shut the door and the ravenette quickly yanked on her nightgown. "Descent!" she called and Suzaku walked in carrying the book she'd had earlier.

"Again, sorry about that."

"Its fine," she insisted as she sat down on her bed, tucking her legs under her as she did. Suzaku handed the book to her.

"You left this behind." She smiled and put the book under her bed. A small black-bound journal flopped out as she pulled her hand away. "What's this?" he asked as he picked it up.

"Umm… You'd think I was either really creepy or really crazy," she said, cheeks turning a little pink as he offered her the book. She shook her head. "I um…I wrote it, telling myself that if I found you again, I'd give it to you."

"But you just said-"

"You can think what you want of me after you take a look. If you want to keep it, then keep it." The Japanese teen opened the book to the first page and scanned over what she'd written. She could recall when she'd started that journal. She had been feeling low and was thinking of home and him. Every page was a different letter to him, telling of everything she'd felt and done that day.

He shut the book, snapped around and kissed her lips quickly. He pulled away beaming but touched their foreheads together.

"I take it you like it?" she asked. Suzaku chuckled.

"You could say that. I actually did something like this. I'll have to give it to you tomorrow, alright?" Lelouchia nodded.

"Tomorrow, I'll walk you around campus and show you the ins and outs of this place, okay?" Suzaku smiled as he got up and walked to the door.

"Sounds good to me. By the way where's your…" Lelouchia reached under her pillow and pulled out the tiny key.

"I'm going to find a pillow or something to hide it in properly but for now, this will have to do. Masamune never comes in here anyway. But to be safe, I keep it with me at all times during the day, either hidden in my shoes or in my hand."

"Goodnight, Lelouchia," Suzaku said quietly as he left the room.

"Good night Suzaku," Lelouchia responded before he shut the door. His eye met hers with a light twinkle as the door shut. The girl leaned back in bed and sighed to herself, clutching the key to her chest.

* * *

><p>"And that over there was a cafeteria, but now it's been turned into a marketplace, the outer courtyard as well. You can buy anything from a bite to eat to clothes to guns to medicine," Lelouchia said, pointing to the place in question where dozens of people bustled about. "Then there's a medical wing that also serves as a maternity ward and hospital and morgue."<p>

"How does payment work?"

"A sort of credit system. You get jobs from Masamune, he gives you a slip of paper with his seal saying how many credits you have, you take it to the bank with your card, they add the credits in and then you buy. You should be getting your card soon." Suzaku nodded as he tugged at his tie.

He was dressed in a black suit and necktie, sunglasses on again, a gun on his hip and a cell phone and wallet in his pocket. A stark contrast to the pale pink and gold kimono Lelouchia wore, a blue obi holding it all in place.

"But how do the supplies get covered? I don't think these credits work outside these walls."

"You're right. The roofs of all the buildings got turned into drug fields and even a few gardens. We trade them to the Russian mob and Italian Mafia in exchange for supplies. We also make our own alcohol that we trade and sometimes, after a raid and if there's no twenty-year-old members in need of wives, Masamune will trade some girls he caught. I think there's also a few routes to work with al-Qaeda but I'm not certain." Suzaku shuddered.

"Every criminal organization our fathers were working to disassemble, brought together under one man and then…" The teen looked at the ravenette.

"We're actually expecting delegates from our partner organizations, including other Yakuza families, and Zero to arrive sometime soon. I don't know what about but I'm fairly sure it involves the BJA."

"In that case, we'll have to find a way of getting a message out."

"Working on that. Rivalz and any messenger is checked thoroughly before being allowed to leave. And Rivalz's bike has a tracking system." Suzaku sighed.

"How did they get so efficient?"

"Thank Zero for that," she said coldly. Suzaku walked up next to her and brushed his hand against hers, trying to be comforting. She returned the gesture as her gaze fell to his black shoes. She knew what he was thinking about behind those black shades. His father had been killed by the same man. "On another note, we should head to the council room. There's a budget to fix." Suzaku cast her a glance. "We do have sources of real income, not credits. And my husband, as well as a few other higher-ups, want us to convince the other Britannian and Japanese kids that this is a normal life so we as the council get a budget to host festivals, parties, balls and the like. The rest of that cash is spent on weapons. Some get sold to street gangs while others are used against the BJA."

Sauzku sighed as the two began towards the council building, also known as Takahiro Masamune's house.

"Is there some sort of class I can take so I actually understand how this place works?"

"Crash course: keep your head down, do what your ordered, don't get killed, Zero is the god of victory, never ask questions, and keep your gun loaded. Good?" The two chuckled to each other, unaware of their stalker.

* * *

><p>Nina was sobbing as the two walked in. Milly and Shirley were trying to console her as she shook her head and covered her ears. Rivalz was standing off to the side, watching the ordeal as he organized the numerous stacks of paper.<p>

"What happened?" Lelouchia asked as she walked over. Nina curled in on herself and sobbed louder as Suzaku stepped near her. "Suzaku, can you help Rivalz?" The teen nodded as the ravenette turned back to her friends.

"Is that Kururugi Suzaku?" Shirley asked. Lelouchia nodded as she gently reached towards Nina.

"Nina, we can't help you if you don't talk to us."

"She talked then when Rivalz came in, she shut up," Milly said, dark spots evident on her green kimono and her yellow obi crumpled somewhat.

"So what happened?" Lelouchia asked as Nina clutched onto Lelouchia's sleeve.

"She thinks she's pregnant," Shirley whispered. "And she didn't consent."

"Another one?" Lelouchia asked as she rubbed Nina's arm. Milly nodded as Nina grabbed onto the ravenette's middle and clung tightly to her. "I'm so sorry Nina," she whispered.

"Wait, can't we tell someone?" Suzaku asked as he removed his shades.

"We wish. But Masamune doesn't really bother with household issues, just his own," Lelouchia said as she stroked Nina's hair. "And didn't I tell you no questions?" she teased.

"Speaking of which, how does living around here work? I didn't see any houses around."

"You didn't get a room assignment?" Rivalz asked. Suzaku shook his head.

"I crashed on the couch at Lelouchia's place. By the way, why aren't you guys calling her Reiko?"

"Because we're among friends here," Milly said with a smile. "We may have been given Japanese names by our husbands or in Rivalz's case, chose them ourselves, but we are Britannian by birth and we'd prefer to keep our names as they are, thank you very much."

"But we don't use them in front of Yakuza members like our husbands. I remember one girl called someone else by their Britannian name and both were killed," Shirley said. "But if Lulu says our names in front of you, that gives us the okay to use our real names."

"Alright. Last thing, Lelouchia…do they know…" She nodded.

"They know who I am."

"But Masamune said you were…"

"When I was captured, I told them my name was Lelouchia Lamperouge and I was an orphan. More or less true." Suzaku shook his head and sat down. A scratching came at the door and Suzaku reached for his gun.

"Stay put," he said as he walked over and opened the door somewhat. A small dark grey cat with a black spot over his gold-colored eyes padded over and dropped a wadded ball of paper at Lelouchia's feet.

"What in the…?" she picked up the paper and the cat. "Suzaku, does this little guy look familiar?"

"I think it's the same cat that bit me yesterday," he said. Lelouchia nodded in agreement.

Nina bent forward, arms wrapping around her stomach as she bolted for the door. Milly and Shirley followed her.

"Rivalz, can you make sure everything's okay? Like make sure they get back safely, alright?" Rivalz nodded and bolted after the girls, leaving Suzaku and Lelouchia alone with the cat. Lelouchia set the cat down on the table and flattened out the paper, setting the Guinevere key down as she leaned over the page. "Hey Suzaku, check this out." Suzaku moved over and read over the girl's shoulder.

"What is all this? I can't read it, except for the spy museum at the bottom," Suzaku said.

"I think it's a cipher," she said as she grabbed a piece of paper. And began writing the phrase above the letters. She grabbed another sheet and a pen. "I'll need the Britannian alphabet written out vertically and horizontally here then make a box like a multiplication chart with the letters in order horizontally again, alright?" Suzaku nodded and got to work as Lelouchia continued her work.

It was a few moments later that they both put their pencils down and Suzaku handed his work to the ravenette.

"Thank you," she said as she began to write out the message's meaning.

_"Lelouchia and Suzaku, meet our newest correspondence unit. This cat is the latest in autonomic animals designed to take messages between you and us in the BJA, without the need for endangering either of you. The only bugs in this little guy is he bites and he sometimes grabs something he wasn't meant to." _

"No kidding," Suzaku hissed as the cat bit his hand again.

_"All you have to do is put your message into cipher, put the key at the bottom, crumple it up, give it to the cat and tell him where you want him to take it. Cécile." _

Lelouchia sighed as she sat back in her chair and the cat rubbed his tail against her hand.

"Oh the life of a spy," she muttered. The cat detached himself from Suzaku and began pawing at the Guinevere key. "Ap!" she snatched the device up and tucked it into her belt. The cat mewed adorably and hopped into her lap, purring as he rubbed his head on her hand. "Why me? Suzaku is the one who loves cats. Why not go to him?"

Suzaku smiled and moved his hand close to the cat, who hissed at him.

"I think that's why," he muttered.

"Ah, the pains of unrequited love, huh?" she giggled as she scratched behind the cat's ear. The door handle squeaked as it was turned. Suzaku grabbed the papers and started crumpled them into a ball as the door opened and Masamune walked in. Lelouchia moved to stand but he held up his hand.

"I have to take my leave for a few days with most of my men. Simply a meeting with our partners. I wanted to be sure you knew and was wondering if you needed anything…" His eyes met with those of the cat. "Where did that come from?"

"He must've come from over the wall. He wandered in here so I was wondering if the council could keep him as a pet…" She cast a glance to her husband as Suzaku got up and threw the papers in the trash.

"Very well. Do you have a name in mind?"

"Akito," Lelouchia said with a smile as she rubbed the cat's head. He purred back to her. Masamune nodded and turned to Suzaku.

"Kururugi-san, I leave my wife and affairs here in your hands." Suzaku bowed.

"I'm honored sir," he said. The man patted the teen's shoulder and left quickly. The two waited until his footsteps disappeared down the hall before shutting the door and heaving relieved sighs. "That was too close."

"There's cardboard boxes somewhere. I'll ask Sayoko for a few and tell Masamune they're to save paper trash for fire-making in the winter." Suzaku looked over at the cat as the feline began to paw at the lump Lelouchia's key made in her obi.

"Are you really going to name him Akito?"

"No. His name will have to wait until the council can come up with something, won't it boy?" The cat sniffed at Lelouchia's finger then licked it a few times before curling up into a ball and falling into a nap on her lap. "Think you can hand me those papers over there?" she asked as she picked up a pen and pointed to the stack she wanted. Suzaku did as instructed and sat down next to her.

"What can I do to help?" She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. She grabbed another sheet of paper and wrote out some names and numbers.

"These are the names and room numbers of the people who helped us in Shinjiku. Can you run and grab them for me? Rivalz can tell you where the dorms are. Oh and I need him to deliver these as well. The names and room numbers should be on them," she finished as she handed him a thin stack of papers.

"I'm on it. Just leave it to me," he said as he kissed her cheek and stood up.

"I kinda feel like I'm turning you into a delivery boy, I'm so sorry." SuzKu looked back from the door and smiled at the girl before he closed it.

Suzaku only had to walk a few moments before he caught sight of Rivalz standing guard in front of a bathroom door. Nina could be heard hurling and sobbing inside, Milly and Shirley trying to comfort her.

"Hey, Rivalz." The blue-haired teen quickly shushed the brunette.

"Call me Ryo. If someone hears you call me by a Britannian name, we're all dead," he hissed as Suzaku handed him the papers.

"Reiko wants those delivered and she also wanted me to collect these people, but I have no idea where I'm going around here." Rivalz nodded and opened the door.

"Miko, I need to help Suzaku with something."

"Alright. We can handle ourselves in here," Milly called as Nina started dry-heaving. Suzaku swallowed back his own urge to vomit as Rivalz shut the door.

"Another thing, call Lelouchia, Reiko-nee-san. Its Yakuza tradition." Suzaku nodded. "So then, let's see that list." Rivalz snatched the paper from Suzaku as the two started down the hall.

"Anything else I should be aware of? Like the names of the girls?" Suzaku asked.

"Miko for Milly, Taiyoko for Shirley, and Hana for Nina," Rivalz said quickly.

"What about the rooms and housing? How does that work?"

"This school used to be a boarding school. When Takahiro-san took over, he took what used to be the clubhouse for all the activities and made it his home. The rest of us were stuffed into our dorm rooms which we now call apartments. If you're married you live in what used to be the girls' dorm and if you're too young for a wife, like you and myself, you live in the guys' dorm. I've heard of a few cases where double bunking is happening, but for the most part, you're alone," Rivalz explained as they walked out the doors and the boy climbed onto his bike. Suzaku moved to get in the side car when Rivalz shook his head. "I can handle this. Any idea what Reiko-nee-san wants them for?"

"It's a private matter. She wouldn't tell me," he said with a shrug. Rivalz nodded.

"Alright then. Leave this to me. You go back and keep her safe." The teen started the bike.

"I will. No matter what, she'll be safe with me." Rivalz smiled at him.

"She'd better be…" With that the blue-haired teen sped away.

* * *

><p>Lelouchia bit the inside of her cheek as the other girls came back and sat Nina down at her computer. The poor girl was white as a sheet and shaking like a leaf in a tornado. The ravenette reached over and placed her hand over Nina's.<p>

"It'll be alright Nina," she assured, rubbing soothing circles into the girl's hand. The girl choked on another sob as Suzaku came in.

"Rivalz said he'd handle the list," he said plainly as he plopped into the seat next to Lelouchia. The girl smiled. Nina looked between the two somewhat nervously while Milly chewed on her bottom lip.

"You two better be careful, understand?" she said pointedly. Lelouchia smiled somewhat sadly, remembering the last time her father and mother had said that to the two of them.

"We will," she and Suzaku said together. They looked at each other and laughed a little.

"Almost like old times," Suzaku commented. Lelouchia nodded.

"Only now its our friend telling us that instead of our parents." Milly slammed her hands on the table, glaring at the two.

"I'm serious here! If anyone in the Yakuza finds who Lelouchia really is, every last Britannian here is as good as dead. On top of that, Masamune will leave you two for last then torture you both until one of you dies. After that, he'll let the other live just to mess around in their head until they die. Understood?" Lelouchia nodded.

"I already knew that Milly," she assured.

"Then act a little more like it. That little stunt you pulled the other day could've gotten us all killed," Milly scolded. Lelouchia sighed as she rested her face in her hands and Milly continued her mother-like rant. "And should a child looking like Suzaku come out of Lelouchia-" Lelouchia's face burned red as she slammed her hand on the table, silencing the blonde.

"That's enough now!" the ravenette yelled as she stood up. "I have a meeting to prep for anyway. So you all do what you like." With that, the ravenette stormed out the door, Suzaku quick at her heels.

* * *

><p>Lelouchia sat back in her seat and twisted the pen in her hand as she looked over the people before her. There were a couple of girls in kimonos, including Kallen who was sitting upfront. Ohgi and Tamaki on either side of her and both Kallen and Lelouchia knew why. Kallen's mother had been Japanese while her father was Britannian. The Yakuza hadn't blamed her for her heritage because of their view of women being weak. Once brought into the fold, she was given to Ohgi to raise as his daughter and promised to Tamaki when she came of age.<p>

Lelouchia looked over at Suzaku and he shut the door, locking it behind him.

"Do any of you have a clue as to why you're here?" she asked. Kallen stood up.

"Because you were piloting a KnightMare and fighting against the Yakuza, just like us a few days back." The ravenette nodded.

"That's exactly why. Do any of you know who I am?" she asked. No one responded for a moment when Kallen glared daggers at her.

"You're Takahiro Reiko to the Yakuza, but to Britannians, you're Lelouchia Lamperouge."

"Wrong," Lelouchia said, bored. "My real name is Lelouchia vi Britannia. As far as I am aware, I am the last living child of Emperor Charles zi Britannia and his wife, Marianne." A few of the people began to whisper until Ohgi stood up.

"Why tell us this? If we wanted to, we could tell your husband."

"Because that would be suicide. I know who you all are and Masamune knows you men are the guards around here when he is absent. How do you think he'd react to learning all of you are a part of the resistance that fights against him?" Ohgi pulled Kallen behind him. "I do not mean to make threats. I am simply saying that I trust you all at this point. And I expect you all trust me in return. I suspect that since the Yakuza have involved themselves in the industries they have, many of you want to leave, correct?" Some began to nod among themselves. "I have a way to do that, but I need your help. All of you." Suzaku came over and stood behind the girl.

"And just why should we help you? For the past five years we've been risking our necks and backsides to take Masamune down. All you've been doing is living it up as his wife!" Tamaki growled as he stood up. Lelouchia locked eyes with him, deep violet burning with rage and fury, silver sparks flying from the flames.

"Do you think I enjoy watching my people suffer like this?" she asked as she slowly stood from her seat. "To watch girls my age, the age my younger sister could have been if she hadn't been shot to _death_, be raped and impregnated against their will?!" She advanced slowly, calmly, body sending the same message while an air of danger engulfed her, eyes flashing the same message.

Tamaki backed up a little, tripping over someone's leg and landing flat on his backside. He whimpered a little.

"My sister was shot to death in her bed. I heard her screaming in pain and fear before they emptied an entire magazine on her. She was seven years old! But they shot and killed her nonetheless. For my sister, all the siblings I've lost since that night, my mother, my father, my people, I will not allow the Yakuza to continue their meaningless slaughter of innocents. Nor will I tolerate any accusations of doing nothing from the likes of you. Do you realize your so-called resistance is nothing more than childish aggravation to Masamune? He has the Russian mob, Italian Mafia and three of the most powerful Yakuza families behind him and may very well be recruiting al-Qaeda as we speak! What do you have to compare?"

The room fell silent. Lelouchia nodded and turned back to her seat. She did not sit though.

"Do not be mistaken, I do not want to oppress or control any of you. If you wish to leave, do so. But if you wish to fight and have a chance at winning, leaving the Yakuza, then stand beside me. And I promise to all of you, even those who do not know of this meeting, those who were not selected to be here or were unable to come, every Japanese and Britannian out there who has yet to know of our existence, that the Yakuza and their empire of shadows and death will fall! And the last one to die, the last one to feel the pain, anger and hatred any of us have felt during the countless battles to come, both physical and mental, will be the spark that lit this flame within us all! The man who is responsible for all of us being here. It may or may not be the first blood I personally spill, but mark my words, Zero will fall by my hand. Whether you all are there with me, is completely your choice."

* * *

><p>Suzaku smirked as he shut the door and faced the ravenette as she sat at the computer.<p>

"What?" He looked in the direction of their vacating guests.

"You had them eating out of the palm of your hand, even Tamaki after you put the fear of death into him." Lelouchia shrugged a shoulder.

"Of course, when you convince people we have a common enemy, you'd be amazed by what they can achieve. The BJA is quite the example." She turned to the computer and started typing away.

"What are you doing now?"

"Making a new way of getting Masamune to let us go. Of course, it'll take a couple weeks for me to earn his trust enough just to believe this but I can handle it. Who knows, we may have a chance to escape." She went back to her work as Suzaku took a seat and watched her.

* * *

><p><strong>BZ: Hmm...anyone like? Do not mess with Zero! He has Mob, Mafia, Yakuza and al-Qaeda connections! That sounds like it belongs on the end of an abridged series episode. Review please!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**BZ: Ahh. Another day, another review. Two actually. One from the same person as before who says, "...I'm out." Um...I hope that just means you're out of questions to ask and not out of the story. Oh dear. But the next review is from NessaTheSinner.**

**NessaTheSinner's review: I love it! I LOVE IT! Suzalulu Lulusuza genderbent Lelouch my favorite parts of a Code Geass fic hahaha Suzalulu OTP! SCREW HER HUSBAND! DIE U SONUVA HOE! **

**BZ: LOL! Thanks. Glad you like it so much. I do too. And I hate her husband too. But now, onto the story!**

* * *

><p>Lelouchia giggled a little as Masamune pulled her seat out for her. The past couple of weeks had been progressing well for her plans, but personally, they'd dragged by like a hundred pound weight chained to her leg. Suzaku had it just as hard as he was forced to watch Takahiro Masamune touch Lelouchia and was not supposed to have any reaction. Add that to Nina and her pregnancy scare still going on, as she was now officially late, and the resistance and the BJA needing whatever information Lelouchia could pass on, it was just rough.<p>

Masamune, however, was rather enjoying time with his now more-than-pleasing wife. Her hair had been pulled into a braid and when she would leave with him, she'd have it pulled into a bun at the base of her skull. She didn't shy from his touch nor did she attempt to attack his hand with her nails as she would in the past. He'd even started to kiss her forehead from time to time, completely oblivious to the fact that each time he did, Suzaku was only a look from Lelouchia away from blasting the man's head off.

Sayoko walked in and put dinner on the table, shooting Suzaku a look out of the corner of her eye as he took his seat across from Lelouchia, on Masamune's right-hand side.

The door creaked as Rivalz walked in then he froze in place, biting his lip at the sharp look Masamune shot at him. Suzaku noticed the thin stack of papers in the teen's hand.

"My apologies...sir, but I was given a few of these papers and found all of these were never responded to..." he said quickly. Lelouchia straightened in her seat as Masamune stood up.

"Well, bring them here." Rivalz obeyed and handed Masamune the papers. He looked a few over quickly before glaring at Rivalz.

"What is it?" Lelouchia asked.

"This must be a joke. None of my men would ever commit something like this," he growled as he handed the papers to his wife. Lelouchia looked them over, eyes growing wider and wider as she looked them over.

"Nonconsensual impregnation and childbirth...this actually...isn't a joke," she said sadly. Suzaku looked over at the girl, knowing that sadness was the only real emotion she was currently showing. Masamune turned to her. "Hana from the council was impregnated a couple weeks ago, or at least she believes so..." She handed the papers back to Masamune, who thrust them back into Rivalz's arms.

"Get those men in my office, NOW!" Rivalz bowed and darted out the room. Masamune stood up and placed a hand on Lelouchia's head. "My apologies for that. But I cannot allow my men to act dishonorably." Lelouchia nodded and smiled. "Please eat without me. It may take a while." With that, the man left. The two waited until the sound of Masamune's boots disappeared. Suzaku slammed a fist onto the table as Lelouchia dropped her head into her arms on the table.

"My gosh! You know what, the next time I hear of these superiors who put me back in here, I'm going to give them a piece of my mind! And I hope they choke on it! CHOKE!" Sayoko placed a hand on Lelouchia's shoulder as the girl sat up again and Masamune's returning footsteps alerted them of his reappearance. "How long has this gone on?" he asked. Lelouchia grabbed the stack and flipped to the back like she didn't know. Her shoulders fell as she glanced at the last page.

"S...Since we took the campus..." she said. Masamune placed a hand on her head and pet it slowly. Suzaku's hand twitched towards his gun.

"You feared me because of that...didn't you?"

"Oh no! No!" she insisted, shaking her head. Masamune's hand moved to her shoulder.

"You needn't lie to me, I hope you understand that," he said slowly as Lelouchia stilled her movements. "I'm sorry. Had I known my men were...No. There's no excuse. I am the oyabun and what they do reflects on me. You had every right to fear me." His eyes shot to Suzaku. "Kururugi, you will be put in charge of the security regarding these women and my wife. However, my wife is priority, understood?" Suzaku nodded.

"But sir, if I may, to what would you be referring?"

"I want my wife and all the girls to be taken somewhere to relax and recuperate for a while. You may take any of the boys they trust as additional security. But make no mistake, any of them disappear on this trip..." Masamune's hand went to his gun and he switched the safety off. "Are we understood?" Suzaku nodded as Masamune returned his attention to Lelouchia. The man lowered himself to a knee and held the girl's hands in his own. "There's a lake a ways away from here. The hotel has a good reputation for good security. I would request you go there with the girls while I deal with my men." Lelouchia nodded and Masamune kissed her knuckles. Suzaku's hand twitched again.

A few moments later, the two were eating their dinner and Masamune was gone.

"Great, total backfire," she muttered under her breath. Suzaku looked up. "I figured if we could get the others away, the BJA could move in and attack without the threat of harming innocents. But now that there's a threat, we can't even sneak a child away." Suzaku picked at his food.

"Aside from the Britannians and Japanese hostages and the resistance, anyone else you can think of to try getting away from here?" Lelouchia shook her head.

"Sayoko. Aside from that, there's no one. However, if I know Masamune, he'll sneak a few loyal wives into the mix like Haruko. So the idea of getting on the wrong train in completely out of the question." Suzaku reached across the table and wrapped his fingers around Lelouchia's hand.

"It'll be alright. So one plan won't work. We'll figure something else out. Who knows, maybe we'll find a way of getting away. I don't know, an accident of some sort?" Lelouchia chuckled a little sadly.

"The odds of something like that happening are like...one in a million." Suzaku shrugged.

"You never know." Lelouchia cast him a look.

"You're planning something. Where's that cat?" The dark-grey cat in question, hopped up onto the table and rubbed his head on Lelouchia's arm, hissing at Suzaku's hand when he came to it. "You're really earning your name, aren't you Arthur?" the revenette asked. Arthur meowed happily.

* * *

><p>The ravenette leaned back in her seat as the train raced past Mt. Fuji. Her hand slipped into Suzaku's grip next to her. Masamune had somehow managed to find enough money to rent out an entire train for all the Yakuza wives, guards and the children the women were taking. The council members were all in the same car as Lelouchia and Suzaku.<p>

"I can't believe you managed to convince Masamune to do this for us," Shirley chirped excitedly as she hopped in her seat. Nina was the only one not smiling as she rubbed her stomach. She was still late and her fear was mounting day by day that she very well could be pregnant. Lelouchia's eyes caught the movements.

"If only I could have done it without the threat over our heads. Then we could get away..." The train vanished into a tunnel and was thrown into pitch blackness. Nina screamed and curled into a ball in her seat. Lelouchia and Milly were at her side in seconds, calmly trying to reassure her that no one was going to hurt her, trying to avoid using her Japanese name as Haruko appeared at the door.

"What was that just now?" she demanded.

"Haruko-san...we're sorry. It's just...Hana-chan is frightened of the dark since the incident..." Lelouchia explained. Haruko walked in and stood before Nina, the girl clutching at her shoulders, shaking her head and whimpering as the woman glared down at her.

"That is quite enough sniveling Hana." Nina's head began to shake harder and her whimpering became louder.

"Haruko-san, I think once we're out of the tunnel, she'll be fine," Lelouchia said, trying to get the woman out. Rivalz and Suzaku stood up.

"If you respond like this to the dark, Hana, how can you hope to properly raise a child?"

"No! NO!" Nina began to scream. Suzaku grabbed Haruko's arm and pushed her into the hall, shutting the door and locking it quickly. Nina continued her screaming and crying until the tunnel was gone. "I don't want it! I don't want it! Get rid of it! Get it out! I hate it!" Lelouchia held the girl to her and rocked her as she sobbed on. "Kill it...please..." she begged over and over until she fell asleep. Lelouchia sighed and put her hand over Nina's stomach.

"Please, just bleed already," she said silently.

* * *

><p>Lelouchia rubbed her knuckles as she glanced over at Milly who was cradling Nina as they waited for Suzaku to wrap up the check-ins. The hotel was located right on the lake, literally on it. As beautiful as the scenery was, Lelouchia and everyone there knew what it really was; a beautiful prison cell, temporary, and once their time there was up, it was back to the Yakuza. The ravenette glanced at the other residents at the hotel, ones who could come and go as they wished, without fear of what awaited them at home.<p>

One person was staring right back at her and Lelouchia's breath caught in her throat. The woman had pale skin, pale green hair and beautiful amber eyes. A person passed by and she was gone.

"Reiko-nee-san?" Haruko asked as she turned a page in the novel she was reading, staring at the words through her crescent-moon glasses perched on the tip of her nose and attached to a thin chain of beads around her neck.

"Its nothing. Thought I saw something is all..." she lied quickly. Then a man walked past with an unusual lump in his coat. Lelouchia looked around again and saw more of those lumps. She moved to her friends slowly, trying to avoid eye contact with any of the people with those mysterious lumps. One man met her gaze and she gasped as he dropped his luggage and pulled out a gun, releasing a flurry of bullets into the ceiling. Every one covered their heads and got down, Suzaku and the other guards reached for their own guns but nearly every person not from the Yakuza in the hotel aside from the staff pulled out a gun.

"Try any of that, Yakuza swine, you'll get a bullet through the skull," a man threatened Suzaku. The teen put his hands up and turned back. The man's eyes widened. "Commander!" The man who had pulled out the first gun came over and grabbed Suzaku by his hair and made him face him.

"Ah. Suzaku Kururugi. It's been a while, hasn't it, traitor?" the man said as he pulled the handgun from the holster inside Suzaku's jacket. Lelouchia moved towards him but another man put a gun to her head. "This is a dangerous toy for a little boy to have," he said as he pointed the muzzle under Suzaku's chin. "But, you're young and impressionable. And I owe your old man for something. You have two options right now; leave and never come back, or stay and die with the trash...Five seconds." Suzaku shot a gaze to Lelouchia. She held down one finger.

"I'll leave," he said quickly. Haruko and some of the other women cried out.

"How dare you! Traitor! How dare you betray us like that?!" the older woman screamed. A man aimed a gun at her as the commander put his stolen gun back into Suzaku's holster.

"But, I don't want these people to get hurt. What do I have to do for their freedom?" he asked. The commander chuckled.

"Tell the Yakuza that we'd like to speak with them about something. If they ignore us...well...we all know what they did to the Imperial family and your father," he said coolly. Nina whimpered in Milly's arms as Suzaku nodded and left the building. "Anyone here who isn't Yakuza, leave now!" The people began to leave immediately. But one person remained; the green-haired woman from before. "You deaf girl? I said get out!"

"And what will you do if I do not?" she asked. The man leveled his gun at her and a few of the captives gasped. "You'll prove you're no better than the Yakuza themselves and execute me?" she asked. The man pulled his trigger and the girl dropped in a heap, blood splattering on the floor from the shot in her forehead. Lelouchia bolted forward as the girls began to scream. The ravenette dropped down by the girl's body and glared at the man.

"Why'd you do that? She wasn't doing anything!" The man leveled his gun at her and another grabbed her by her hair, yanking her up and off the floor.

"Shut your mouth before you join her."

* * *

><p>Suzaku sighed as he shut the phone. Masamune had not been happy to hear the news at all. However, that was only to be expected. However, he knew the BJA wouldn't take nearly as long to assemble and gather there. Of course his call to Miss Cécile had been much more stressful. Apparently, the man in charge was formerly a member of the BJA but then he attempted a raid on a Yakuza town with the intent to bring a completely survivor-less bloodbath. He'd been dishonorably discharged and they hadn't heard from him in a long time.<p>

All Suzaku wanted to do, was tear back into the hotel and strangle the man for threatening Lelouchia.

He opened his phone again and dialed a number before putting the receiver to his ear.

"Its me. We have a situation."

* * *

><p>Lelouchia cradled Nina against her as the outside sunlight vanished, replaced by darkness as night fell over the lake. They'd been informed by the man in charge that the Yakuza had arrived and he'd keep them informed. That had been roughly twenty-nine minutes ago according to Rivalz's watched. Haruko looked over at Nina and glared.<p>

"Sit up right, Hana." Nina shook her head and covered her ears. "You are a proud wife of Yakuza, act like it!"

"Haruko-san."

"How can your child be raised to be proud of their heritage if you continue to act like an infant yourself?"

"Quiet down!" a soldier yelled. Haruko glared at the man.

"How dare you!" Lelouchia grabbed Haruko's wrist but the woman stood up. "You dare to threaten us?! Have you any idea whom you are addressing right here?!" the woman screamed. Lelouchia stood up and tried to pull Haruko down. "This is Takahiro Reiko, wife of Takahiro Masamune, the man chosen by Zero himself to lead the Yakuza!"

"Haruko-san, that's enough! Sit down!" Lelouchia ordered as the commander came in, whispered to a soldier and left. The man advanced and whispered to the man before Lelouchia and Haruko. The two grabbed the elder woman and tied her hands with a zip-tie.

"What are you doing?!" The men slapped her harshly and practically dragged her out of the room. Lelouchia sat back down as Nina, a few girls and some of the children gathered around her.

"What's going to happen to Haruko-san?" asked a little girl. Lelouchia shrugged and shook her head.

"I don't know," she lied. She knew full well. The Yakuza hadn't given in to the demands of the men and Haruko was going to be executed, probably thrown off the roof, just to make a point. _"Please Suzaku. Hurry." _

* * *

><p>Suzaku bit his knuckle impatiently as Lloyd's team worked to finish preparing the Lancelot for whatever plan the superiors had come up with. However, after this, he was going to join Lelouchia in giving those people, whoever they were, a piece of his mind. If they hadn't ordered her back into the stronghold, she wouldn't be in the hotel.<p>

Cécile sat down next to him.

"Suzaku, the Yakuza are making a move," she said tentatively. The teen turned to her and she opened her laptop to show a long tunnel under the hotel connecting to either side of the lake. Three small blips were moving down the side closest to the opposite shore from the concealed BJA.

After only a few seconds, the blips blinked out one by one. Cécile sighed.

"The superiors said once we were ready, to send you in. Your objective is to take out the support structure of the hotel, letting it sink into the lake. The rubble from the tunnel should help it stay up for a small while, even sandwich it into staying above water somewhat. According to Lelouchia's key, they're right here." She pointed to a new dot in the hotel near the top.

"How much longer until they're ready?" Suzaku asked.

"At least forty-five minutes." Suzaku shot to his feet.

"Did you see what they did to one of the hostages? Did you hear what they said after? Every half an hour, someone else gets shoved off that roof. The next victim could well be Lelouchia. In forty-five minutes, we'll have three corpses on our hands." Cécile stood up calmly.

"I understand. But I cannot make them work any faster. We have limited resources, Suzaku. We can hardly spare anything at this point. The superiors-" Suzaku's fist slammed against the wall.

"Superiors this, superiors that, I'm starting to get quite sick of hearing about them. And yet, never once have they lowered themselves from their perches to even say a word to the foot soldiers or even Lelouchia and myself! So give me one reason, it doesn't even need to be a good reason, why I should do a single thing they say while Lelouchia is in there, risking her life for those girls and kids!" Cécile was quiet. "That's what I thought."

"I'll call them and inform them of your frustrations. No matter how you see them, Suzaku, they do care about this army and both nations." With that, she walked away. Suzaku sighed in irritation and hit the wall again.

_"I'm sorry Miss Cécile. Lelouchia, you better be alright." _

* * *

><p>Nina whimpered as she clutched onto Lelouchia and Milly. A soldier walked by and stopped in front of the girls. Nina saw his boots and cowered deeper into the ravenette's arms.<p>

"Yakuza…" The soldier glared at her.

"What was that?!" he yelled. Nina curled into Lelouchia, hiding in the girl's shoulder. The man pointed his gun at the girls. "We're no Yakuza! I'm Britannian!"

"We got that!" Lelouchia yelled back. "Lay off her, she's terrified! You're the one waving a gun around like a flag!"

"Then correct her!"

"We will!" Shirley retorted.

"Just back off! She was raped a couple weeks ago and she's scared of you!" Milly yelled.

"Why you little… Come with me, all four of you and I'll teach you a real lesson." Nina began to tremble and clutched Lelouchia with renwed force.

"No! No! NO!" she screamed as she began to sob. The soldier reached down and grabbed. Her wrist. She began to thrash about, trying to get away, grabbing at anyone nearby to use as an anchor. Children began to cry.

"Let go of her!" Lelouchia ordered. The man smacked her with the butt of his gun, sending her into the shelving unit next to her. Her ears rang and her head throbbed. A warm liquid began to trickle down her neck and face.

Nina continued to struggle as the man reached forward and grabbed her by the hair. She scratched at his gloved hands and kicked, fighting with everything she had. Lelouchia stood up and shoved the man away from Nina, teeth bared and snarling as he aimed his gun at her.

"How dare you…" she growled, hands trembling as she ripped her obi belt off, revealing the black pants and deep blue button-up shirt underneath her bloodied kimono. The shirt was already beginning to be colored with the same dark liquid. "Have you any idea with whom you are dealing?" The man's hand began to tremble as she turned and pulled up her shirt, revealing the bird sigil on her back. "I am the only known survivor of the Imperial Family of Britannia, Lelouchia vi Britannia, daughter of Emperor Charles zi Britannia and his wife Marianne. Until it is proven to me with clear, physical evidence that any of my elder brothers and sisters still live, I order you, as Empress of the Holy Britannian Empire to take me to your commander!"

The man dropped his gun and it discharged into the wall. All the women screamed and children began to cry, clutching to their mothers. But Lelouchia did not flinch. She turned to another man. Blood slipped past her eye, adding a touch of crimson to the deep, angry violet flames within.

"You! Go find that girl your commander shot in the lobby and bring her to me. And should I find out any more hostages were taken from this room for any reason aside from the restroom or freedom, that mistake will cost you your lives, am I clear?!" Every man bent the knee.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" they all yelled in unison. The two soldiers walked Lelouchia out the door and down the hall.

* * *

><p>Suzaku had to admit, he hadn't expected the commander to not follow through with his threat of a hostage being killed every half hour. But that could simply mean any second now, he was going to do something drastic. There wasn't time to waste.<p>

_"Warrant Officer Kururugi, do you have your guidelines?" _Cécile asked over the intercom.

"Yes ma'am. I understand."

"_Remember, the VARIS causes a huge discharge so you cannot be in the tunnel when you fire it," _Jeremiah added.

"I know sir. And obtaining Lelouchia's safety is top priority. That was a given, not only for here, but also in my own book," Suzaku assured as the hard floor of the tunnel met with the bottom of the Lancelot.

_"Mission begins in twelve minutes. Beginning countdown now," _Cécile reported.

_"Oh and Suzaku, try not to get the Lancelot too banged up." _Suzaku chuckled and shook his head.

"No promises Lloyd. And don't worry, I won't leave you with someone who can't clock in a 94% on this bad boy."

* * *

><p>The commander was taking a long swig from a bottle of scotch as Lelouchia walked in.<p>

"What do you want?" he asked, fingers playing with the gun at his side. "I ordered my men to bring me a cute little brunette, not some bloodied raven." Lelouchia showed him her mark and he chuckled to himself.

"You know who I am. And what I want is freedom for all the women here, children as well." The ravenette dropped her shirt and faced the man head-on.

"Can't do that. You see, those girls are Yakuza wives. Those kids, Yakuza-born. And as for that mark on your back, a symbol of a dead family with no power. Sure a few of the Emperor's brats managed to get away but what can they really do? Britannia is in ruins, the BJA hardly have the needed resources and whenever someone is competent enough to know how to win, they cut him off."

"Trying to murder an entire town of innocent women and children is hardly how Britannia or Japan operate. And all the girls here were forced into their marriages, save for a few. The children cannot control to whom they were born."

"Look around you girl! This isn't Japan or Britannia territory! Its Yakuza! If we're going to beat 'em, we gotta hit them where it counts. They're like cockroaches, living and breeding under a rock. Unless we take out the breeders." Lelouchia's hand flew, marking the man's face with a red handprint and sending his body flying into the couch. A knock at the door and then the creak of the hinges caught Lelouchia's attention.

"I brought the girl, Your Majesty. As you requested."

"Let her in," Lelouchia ordered. The girl walked in all on her own and aside from the blood on her clothes, there was no indication that she'd been shot. "Close the door." The man obeyed and the girl walked over to the ravenette. "Long time no see, C.C." The green-haired girl smiled a little.

"Have you made up your mind?" Lelouchia nodded. "Very well then."

"I accept the terms of your contract," Lelouchia said as she held out her hand to C.C. The other took it and for a few seconds, held it before the two pulled away. "Now then, what to do with you?" Lelouchia asked.

"Wh-what just happened?" the commander asked. Lelouchia met his eyes again as he picked up his gun. Lelouchia's left eye glowed crimson and the bird sigil from her back appeared in her eye.

"A dead family just reclaimed power," she said. "Now then, I, Lelouchia vi Britannia, command you, obey my orders!" The bird flapped its wings and the commander's brown eyes rimmed with red as Lelouchia's eyes returned to normal. "Answer my questions."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"How many of my brothers and sisters still live?"

"Four. However, one other body was missing from that night. That of Guinevere su Britannia. It is theorized among the BJA that she still lives," he said dully.

"Who do you know is alive?" she pressed.

"Prince Schneizel el Britannia, Princess Cornelia li Britannia, Princess Euphemia li Britannia…" Lelouchia turned away, prepared to walk out of the room. "And Princess Nunnally vi Britannia." Lelouchia's footsteps froze. She slowly turned back to the commander.

"What did you say?" she hissed. "Repeat that last name right now!"

"Princess Nunnally vi Britannia lives." Lelouchia's hands trembled at her sides. "Although, at the rate the BJA is going right now, none of them will alive much longer." The ravenette's hands clenched into fists and the sigil appeared in her eye again.

"Go rot in a hole!" she screamed. The man picked up the gun and held it to his throat.

"Happily, Your Highness!" he cackled before pulling the trigger. Lelouchia hit the floor on her hands and knees as the commander's body slumped to the ground.

"Nunna…my baby sister…she's alive? But then…why did she…why was I…" The girl covered her face as sobs racked her thin frame. "Oh Nunnally." C.C. walked towards the door.

"It may be a good idea to get out of here and lead your people out?" The raven-haired girl wiped at her face and took a steadying breath as she stood up and straightened her clothes. A thin layer of crusted blood stuck to her skin.

"Yea. You're right. I'm not going to find Nunnally if I'm in here," she said as she and the green-haired girl left the room.

* * *

><p>Suzaku took a deep breath as Cécile counted down the last few seconds until the launch.<p>

"Activating M.E. Boost," he said once zero was reached.

_"Lancelot launching!"_ With that, he sped forward. The tunnel was dimly lit with red emergency lights. Down at the end was a long cannon made from old Glasgows. _"What do you see?" _

"Looks like a cannon of some kind, maybe a prototype. Glasgows are holding it up but it doesn't look mobile at all," he reported.

_"Be careful in there kid. The Lancelot only has a 47.8% evasion rate in there and if something happened to you, the princess wouldn't let me live it down," _Jeremiah said. Suzaku chuckled as he moved the controls so the Lancelot held the long blue VARIS cannon in its hands.

"Don't worry Jeremiah, I know what I'm doing here."

_"Suzaku?" _

"If the evasion rate is less than half, I might as well make sure I've got the first shot," he said as he charged up the cannon. In an instant, the device discharged a burst of bright blue energy. The cannon down the tunnel exploded and Suzaku charged forward, bursting up through the hole and took aim right at the support post of the building.

Two shots was all it took to begin submerging the building.

_"Lelouchia, you have to get out of there, now!" _he thought as he bit his lip. The Lancelot descended onto the land bridge that lead straight to the Yakuza. It was also the only way out of the hotel at this point. Seconds passed and the door vanished under the water. Suzaku bit his knuckle again. _"Come on Lelouchia, where are-"_

A blast of heat, metal and glass shrapnel burst through the front, top half of the hotel.

"No!" Suzaku yelled as he surged forward into the ruins of the hotel, hoping that somehow he'd find at least one girl alive.

Smoke hung over the water so thick, Suzaku could have never seen where he was landing if not for the flames burning whatever had been left inside. No one was screaming. No one was crying. No noise save for the fire before him.

_"She's gone…" _His fingertips began to shake on the controls. "She's dead…I-I failed…" The controls slipped from his grip as his hands clenched into fists. "I lost her…No. Not again!" he roared, slamming his fist into the wall.

The smoke began to dissipate, allowing for the bow of a long, white boat to be seen. A handful of dark figures were standing in plain sight. All were dressed in black pants, jackets and had dark visors over their faces. Suzaku could easily make out Kallen, Ohgi and…

"Lelouchia," he breathed, relieved, as his eyes caught on the Guinevere pilot uniform.

"To the families of the hostages from this hotel jacking, fear not. Your relations are all safe," Lelouchia said. The faint glint of a microphone shone in the firelight in her hair, projecting her voice all over the lake. "The ones who wish to return to the Yakuza are already on their way. Those who wish to return to the forces Britannia or Japan, are being returned to their homes. Any Yakuza member who attempts to stop or harm any of these people in any way, will be captured and brought to the BJA as prisoners of the Black Knights! However, we are not one to ignore those in need, whether they be Britannian, Japanese or Yakuza. We will not stand idly by when injustice and oppression rears their heads, nor will we tolerate a one-sided massacre of the weak by the strong! Those of you living in the shadow of fear, rally behind us! Those of you casting it, fear us! For we will be the ones to stand in judgment of this world!"

* * *

><p>Lelouchia pulled off her visor as she sat down in the grass with her Black Knights. Girls were running to various soldiers they recognized as relatives. Some were introducing their children with their relatives. True the women may have despised their husbands, but it was difficult for their motherly instincts to not love their children.<p>

"Good work tonight," she said. "Looks like liberation has begun."

"What do you want us to do now, princess?" Kallen asked as she pulled off her visor.

"Go. Find someplace to sleep tonight. I have to find a way to meet up with the superiors and give them a piece of my mind for all this nonsense," Lelouchia said as she stood up. "Should anything occur, your first priority will be to get any and all women and children away from here as well as the elderly and ill. Then you may find your Burais and join the fight. But there will be no mass killings. Try to take as many prisoners as you can. That will be all. Good night everyone." The group broke apart and Lelouchia stood up, wiping loose grass and dirt off the backside of her uniform. _"But before that, I bet a certain pilot will want a word or two." _

It only took her a few minutes to find where the Lancelot was. She leaned against a tree and waited until Suzaku appeared in the door.

"Hey," she said with a shrug. The next thing she knew, Suzaku had her sandwiched between him and the ground and was kissing her like there was no tomorrow. She chuckled to herself and kissed back, running her fingers through the tousled curls and down his neck, rimming the high collar of his uniform with her nail. His hands travelled down her side and up her neck, fingering the tiny hairs at the base of her skull and tracing the curve of her hipbone with his other hand.

"Sir Kururugi..." The two broke apart and Lelouchia turned to see Jeremiah watching them with crossed arms, finger tapping his arm expectantly.

"Jeremiah..." A trail of saliva connecting the two snapped and landed on the girl's face. His brow raised a little as he glanced to Suzaku.

"Your little complaint seems to have gotten through to the superiors," the man said to the teen as he pulled himself and Lelouchia up. "They want to see you. Both of you." Suzaku nodded and followed the older Knight while he held tightly to Lelouchia's hand. She gave it a little squeeze.

* * *

><p>"Right through there?" Lelouchia asked, pointing to the door of the armored car that protected the superiors. Jeremiah nodded and he knocked on the door. A young boy, probably no older than Lelouchia or Suzaku, with pale brown hair and pinkish-violet eyes appeared, dressed in black with shoulder pads like the ones worn by the BJA foot soldiers. He glared at Suzaku and Lelouchia, hand moving to a gun on his hip as a precaution.<p>

"Who're they?" he asked harshly. Someone must've said something inside because he looked back, opened his mouth as if to argue, then shut it and opened the door. Lelouchia smiled as she stepped into the truck and Suzaku clapped the kid's shoulder as he passed, earning him a glare from the boy.

"Sir Kururugi, it may be best to not agitate Rolo," said a very familiar voice to both of them. The two snapped around to face a young man in his later twenties, with blonde hair and icy-blue eyes filled with a warmth that spread to his smile. Beside him was a young woman with purple hair, lips painted the same exquisite color and bright indigo eyes. Behind her was a young girl, no older than Lelouchia, with the same colored eyes and pale pink hair standing in the door.

Lelouchia's hand flew to her mouth as tears welled in her eyes.

"Schneizel...Cornelia...Euphemia." She bolted forward and threw her arms around her brother's neck. His arms wrapped tightly around his young sister. Cornelia stepped forward and Lelouchia moved to her, shoulders shaking as she cried. Cornelia hugged the girl tightly before Euphemia ran forward and the girls threw their arms around each other, trying to calm down the other as they both sobbed. The elder two ran their fingers through Lelouchia's dark hair and Cornelia smiled warmly at Suzaku before moving over to him and wrapping her arms around him.

"Thank you...for returning our sister to us..."

After a few minutes Lelouchia was able to calm down enough to pull away and smile.

"We thought the worst..." Schneizel admitted, caressing his sister's face gently with his thumb.

"I did too...I actually introduced myself as Empress in there," Lelouchia admitted, shaking her head and pushing her hair out of her face. "Um...The commander mentioned Nunnally was also..." Schneizel nodded and Euphemia moved out of the way of the door.

"She's right through there." Lelouchia nodded and slowly made her way to the door. Suzaku followed her and glanced in. Nunnally was sitting at a table with her back turned to the door in a wheelchair. Her long pale brown hair curled around her as her hands moved, folding a piece of paper in front of her.

Suzaku put a hand on Lelouchia's shoulder and the girl gripped it tightly, giving it a light squeeze before stepping forward. Nunnally held up her work as Lelouchia came up behind her.

"Please, bring my sister to me," she whispered to the tiny paper crane. "Schneizel! I did it! A thousand paper cranes!"

"That's quite an achievement, Nunna," Lelouchia said. Nunnally snapped her head around to face her sister, a bright smile breaking out on her face as she wheeled the chair around. The girl was dressed in a small pink dress that ended at her knees, showing the bullet wound scars that littered her legs. Lelouchia fell to her knees in front of her sister and touched one of the scars.

"A maid protected me that night. I got a bullet in my back and that's why I can't walk anymore." Lelouchia placed her forehead on Nunnally's knee and gripped the edge of the skirt tightly.

"Oh Nunnally, I'm so sorry," she cried. Nunnally ran her fingers through Lelouchia's hair, froze and pulled away to stare at the flakes of dried blood that clung to her fingers. Nunnally resumed her previous action, combing the dried blood from her sister's hair.

"You couldn't have known. I even thought you were..." Lelouchia shook her head and sat up, taking hold of her sister's hand.

"Nunnally, I promise, from now on, I won't ever make you have to face something like that on your own. Everything that happens, we'll face it together, alright?" Nunnally nodded and shoved herself from her chair, launching into her sister's arms and holding her tightly. Lelouchia buried her face in Nunnally's pale hair as the two began to cry again. Suzaku walked forward and knelt beside the two.

Nunnally looked over at him and smiled widely as she stretched a hand to him. He took it gently and kissed the back of her knuckles.

"It's been a long time, Nunna," he said softly as he moved close enough to wrap an arm around Lelouchia's shoulders. Nunnally nodded as she gripped his hand.

"Did you protect my sister?" she asked. Suzaku looked to Lelouchia as she held her head up and ran her fingers through the long pale tresses.

"He did. He did a great job at it too," she said softly. Nunnally nodded.

"I knew he would."

* * *

><p>"So Britannia has been run by a council of select Nobles under orders to make it seem like Britannia is in chaos on the surface," Schneizel explained. Lelouchia had been called away from Nunnally and replaced with Rolo and Euphie for a meeting with her elder siblings.<p>

"So that way, the Yakuza are thrown off the trail of our plans," Lelouchia filled in.

"Exactly," Cornelia explained. "And by leading them along with small victories, we make them underestimate their enemy."

"But onto other business," Schneizel cut in. "You're a returning princess. And as such, you'll require-"

"Suzaku, Jeremiah and my Black Knights will serve as my guard. However I will continue to pilot the Guinevere and some of my Knights will protect Nunnally. There's also a woman from the Yakuza who came over with me. Her name is Sayoko and I would like her to become part of Nunnally's guard as well." Cornelia nodded, understanding her sister's reasoning. Schneizel stood up and walked to his sister's side.

"Very well. It is good to have you back where you belong," he said warmly as he placed a kiss on his sister's forehead. Cornelia stood as well and walked over to Lelouchia. "Nunnally sleeps in her own armored car. Rolo protects her during the evening. You can stay there," he said. Lelouchia nodded.

"Who exactly is this Rolo boy?" she asked. Schneizel's warm look turned somewhat grim.

"He's a boy I found during my time in the E.U. a few years back. No living family, no known birthday, trained as a child soldier from the age of four or five, and is responsible for at least six or seven deaths of politicians in the E.U. But he does his job well. Whatever he is assigned, he dedicates himself to it 100%. And for the past few years, his assignment has been to protect Nunnally." Lelouchia nodded again before Cornelia kissed her sister.

"I will have Guilford find Sayoko and bring her to you. In the meantime, you should get some rest." Lelouchia stood up and smiled at her siblings.

* * *

><p>Suzaku smiled a little as Lelouchia sat down and shifted a little on the cot in her room.<p>

"Not as comfortable as your bed back at Ashford?" he asked jokingly. Lelouchia smiled and tapped the spot next to her. Suzaku sat down and took hold of her hand gently. Lelouchia wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him into a deep kiss. Slowly, his hands began to re-explore areas from earlier as Lelouchia pulled back and him into the cot on top of her.

The two pulled away for a moment. Lelouchia's fingers traced the zipper track of his uniform as his played with the zipper under her jaw. He moved to leave but Lelouchia wrapped another arm securely around his neck.

"Its okay Suzaku," she said gently. The boy leaned down and kissed her again and the zippers were pulled down.

* * *

><p><strong>BZ: Sorry...I don't write lemons. But you can guess what happens from there. On another note, who wants to see a drabbles collection of the childhood these characters had before the takeover? You want? Review below and tell me what you want to see and what you thought of this chapter. Bye! Happy Thanksgiving!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**BZ: Wow. I love how much people seem to be loving this story. But...no reviews on if anyone wants to see how the characters interacted before all of this happened? I'm a little worried. The idea of seeing how the little kids acted together is exciting to me. So I'll just ask once more if anyone else wants to see that too. Who knows, you may get some valuable insight as to what is going on here. Oh well. Reviews! Four this time. Two are from a Guest and the last one is from harlequin320.**

**harlequin320's Review: interesting twists you've added to this story, I am really curious who Zero is if it is not Lelouchia? anyways, keep up the good work, update soon. **

**BZ: Thank you for reading the story. And if you want to know who Zero is...keep reading! **

**Guest's 1st Review: Uh, when did Lelouchia see Clovis? I also don't really understand the forced wife thing. I get why the head of the Yakuza would force the last surviving princess of Britannia to marry him to show his power, but changing her name and pretending the princess is dead doesn't really make any sense (unless he doesn't know she's the princess and he actually likes her or something, which also doesn't make sense).**

**BZ: Um...Lelouchia saw Clovis be shoved off a building to his death. Suzaku kept her from actually seeing him land. And actually, Lelouchia introduced herself as Lelouchia Lamperouge because she knew what the Yakuza were capable of. And because no one in the Yakuza kept track of who was killed aside from Charles and his wives, even they don't know if she was really the princess. Also, would you happen to know what the heirs to something like the Romanov family look like? I certainly don't. **

**Guest's 2nd Review: Excuse me but the strategies here are just...what? The first plan with the yakuza, how can anyone say that backfired? It sounds too perfect. They'll take all the women and children away from the campus and can choose what men to bring with them. BJA overpowers the campus with no worries about hurting innocent people, the end. Lelouchia's smarter than that to actually feel threatened by Masamume's orders to kill anybody who tries to escape. The second plan with Britannia making the yakuza underestimate them sounds like some little gang playing turf wars, not a NATION. I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt on that one since the plan was made by a bunch of inexperienced kids, but... seriously.**

**BZ: The reason the plan backfired is because we are talking about a man who controls the three most famous families of Yakuza, which is an organization known for murder, drug and human trafficking and quite a few other things. This organization stretches the entire earth with 103,000 members, and has ties to the Russian Mob, Italian Mafia, and possibly al-Qaeda...I would say Takahiro Masamune has quite a bit of power to enforce his threats, even if he were to be killed. And then there's also the fact that if you take out the head of these kinds of organizations, another will come up unless you destroy the entirety of the organization. And when dealing with limited resources and fighting against people like this, you have to learn to fight in newer ways so the enemy believes they have the advantage and get sloppy. Also, all these people believe the Imperial family has been eradicated. If they learned the smartest of the pack are now working together to destroy what killed their family, how do you think they would respond? Next is Ollie.**

**Ollie's Review: Awesome story but one major problem, it needs an update! **

**BZ: Does this fix that problem for the time being? Now then, on with the story.**

* * *

><p>Lelouchia sighed a little as she sat down in her seat. Schneizel and Cornelia looked up at her. Cornelia's guard, Guilford, and Schneizel's, Bismark, glanced at each other as Suzaku took his place by the raven-haired princess. Daily meetings between the three siblings as well as key members of their guard and the BJA had become normal in the days following the hotel jacking and liberation of the young girls and children.<p>

"Is something wrong Lelouchia?" Schneizel asked, leaning forward in his chair. The girl shook her head and rubbed at her temples.

"Just worry."

"Of Yakuza retaliation?" Cornelia said. Lelouchia nodded.

"But we gave a clear warning and even Masamune isn't that stupid," Suzaku said quickly as Lloyd, Cécile and a dark-skinned woman with long blonde hair dressed in a partially unbuttoned red shirt, tight black pants and a lab coat walked in and sat down.

"Sir Kururugi, we're dealing with an organization with, at the very least, a thousand years' worth of traditions, affiliations with the Russian Mob, Italian Mafia, and some interaction with al-Qaeda and over 103,000 members worldwide," Guilford replied. "If Her Highness has a concern of retaliation from anyone, I would say the Yakuza is a very sound theory indeed."

"Not to mention, these men have their own Knightmares in mass production," Lloyd said pointedly.

"He's right, with our limited resources, we can't exactly hope to take them all out," Cécile agreed. Lelouchia nodded.

"On the business of Knightmares, Rakshata..." The dark-skinned woman perked up. "I was looking through your request for more supplies and your plans for a Guren Mk II piqued my interest. Especially the Radiant Wave Surger. What more can you tell us of it?"

"Well, based on my current lab data, it does best in close-combat situations. Basically the pilot would grab any part of the opposing Knightmare and activate the RWS, thus causing the other Knightmare to overheat from the outside in and then combust. All in under three to five seconds, depending on the Knightmare's size."

"And the Guren?"

"Currently in the works with what scraps I've been finding around the camps and battle areas. But it is only about half done for prototype stages." Lelouchia nodded.

"And all other parts needed can be found in a Knightmare factory, correct?" the ravenette asked. The scientist nodded.

"We'll be expecting a shipment of supplies from Britannia in a few days," Cornelia said. "I don't think we can add all the supplies you'll need for the Guren in this month's shipment but we also have to have some leftover materials for repairs on our current Knightmare Frames."

"Or the Black Knights and I could lead a raid on a Knightmare factory in Japan. I know where several are in nearby provinces. If we can mass produce more Knightmares, we may have a shot of at least taking care of the various gangs Masamune deals with in Japan," Lelouchia pointed out.

"I agree and disagree with my pilot," Lloyd drawled. "If we keep waiting on these shipments, we're going to eventually run out of how much we need that can be stuffed into these shipments every few months. However, to take over a factory is asking for trouble. And how would supplies continue to come in after we take over one? I'm certain Masamune-"

"Once we run out of supplies in one, we take over another."

"And if he moves them?" Bismark challenged. "And why worry about the smaller gangs? If we charge onto Ashford Academy we can-"

"Sir Bismark, as Knight of One, I value your input, however, if a member of Yakuza were to kill you, who would lead the Knights of the Round after you? Or if my brother were to be killed, who would you follow?"

"If I were to fall, the Knight of Two would take my place. But if your brother fell, we'd follow the orders of Princess Cornelia, followed by yourself, Your Highness."

"Exactly. We're dealing with an organization that has over a hundred thousand others who can take control of things after Masamune, even if he has no second-in-command formally stated. There is a hierarchy and they all follow it. Then there is the affiliations Masamune has that can come here at his call. And should Masamune move his factories, its a simple matter of thinking the way he would. He wouldn't try to make a huge spectacle of moving his supplies and would do it at night, starting with the factories closest to the affected region. He'd need a large building for hiding something like a factory so an abandoned factory or warehouse would be ideal. After that, its a matter of process of elimination," Lelouchia finished.

"I think my sister has a point," Schneizel said. "We cannot rely solely on the Britannian Nobles. Eventually, our movements with them will be discovered and it could lead to massive consequences."

"So what do you suggest, Your Majesty?" Cécile asked.

"I suggest we take this shipment, repair whatever Knightmares we can and take a factory. After that, connections with the council will end for a short while. The only time we should contact them is when we cannot actually acquire those supplies." The group began to nod their heads as Sayoko raced into the room, panting for air.

"Please excuse my interruption. But there's news," she panted.

"What kind of news?" Cornelia asked, standing up. Sayoko straightened herself up and took a deep breath. "And how did you come by it?"

"I may have left the Yakuza, but I still have my own loyal connections. Apparently, last night another raid happened in Britannia. By Yakuza standards, it was a success."

"Yakuza standards means someone was murdered...Don't tell me-" Sayoko bowed her head.

"The victims were all the members of the council installed by Prince Schneizel and Princess Cornelia," she reported sadly. "As well as their wives and children." Lelouchia's fists clenched until her knuckles turned white.

"Who laid claim to the victory?" she asked, although she felt that she knew the answer.

"Zero. He proclaimed it was for the honor of Takahiro Masamune and his late wife, Reiko, who had been butchered by Britannian forces." Lelouchia grit her teeth as Suzaku put a hand over hers. The room fell silent for a moment before Schneizel turned to Bismark.

"Inform Gino of his father." The knight nodded and stood up to leave. "Lord Asplund, I'm sorry for your loss. Sayoko, inform any others who were members of those families that are here of what has happened. But no one else will learn of this."

"Is that really wise Schneizel?" Lelouchia asked. "We have nowhere else to go, no homeland to return to, no one to rely on for supplies. We're outnumbered and outgunned. Most of the girls here think that soon, they'll be smuggled back to Britannia to rejoin their families."

"We'll have to tell those girls that plans for such a feat are being postponed until further notice."

"You expect me to stand beside you while you feed possibly false hope to girls who I have watched be tortured and beaten almost to nothing for five years? Those girls trust me and I will not look at them and say there might be a chance again. They will turn to us for every scrap of a detail like dogs starving for meat. I know, I made them the promise that I would get them out of the Yakuza and for five years, they did that to me. If it were not for the council I established, I would have crumbled under the pressure and believe me, you will too." With that, the raven-haired princess stormed out of the room, Suzaku close behind her.

Schneizel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Schneizel, I think she's right," Cornelia said softly. "She has lived with the hopes of these girls on her shoulders for five years and now that they're here, with us, I think her advice on the issue of how to handle the girls is highly invaluable."

"I understand Cornelia, but without the council we are all but helpless. We cannot smuggle these girls home and many of our supplies are now cut off. What are we to do? How do we tell our people that?"

"Perhaps being upfront and honest is the best way," Sayoko said before she bowed out.

* * *

><p>Suzaku kicked lightly at a small rock under his boot as Lelouchia paced the grass outside the car that served as the royal sitting room of sorts. No one really slept in there aside from guards and during the day it was where Nunnally and Euphie could be found with Rolo. Lelouchia had started spending most of her time there, catching up with her sisters and learning whatever she could from the books stored inside. There were times Suzaku had caught her writing up essays of her own as she tried to continue the education that had been cut off from her when she was ten.<p>

"Ready to go in yet?" he asked.

"No," she groaned. He glanced over at her as she leaned against the side of the car. "Almost feels like being in the encampment would have been better. At least then no Nobles would have been killed in my name," she muttered as she ran her hands over her face.

"They were killed by Zero for your husband."

"Because I chose to go back to the BJA. And now... Now we all see what happens when we defy the Yakuza," she said, turning away and bending over with a slight groan. Suzaku walked over and placed hand on her back.

"Are you feeling alright?" The girls shrugged. "Maybe you should go see Miss Cécile. I mean, you did request to be checked up last because the other girls need it more but maybe you should..."

"I'm fine. Its just an upset stomach, its nothing," she assured as she stood up straight.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"No," she whimpered as she grabbed her hair out of her face, bent over and vomited into the grass. The ordeal was over in seconds but that didn't stop Suzaku from becoming a frantic mess.

"Oh gosh! What the heck!" His words became unintelligible babble as Lelouchia grabbed a leaf and calmly  
>wiped any slime and bile off her mouth.<p>

"Suzaku, will you calm down please? Its probably just shock about the Britannian council." Suzaku grabbed her shoulders.

"You saw nothing of any of the murder. I can understand that when we were kids but now...Oh gosh!" Lelouchia clamped a hand over his mouth and shoved him up against a tree.

"Suzaku...what are you thinking?" She carefully removed her hands.

"You're not pregnant are you?!" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Possibly," she said. "However, I'm not Nina so I won't jump the gun until I have morning sickness, cravings and/or have an ultrasound tell me I'm going to be a mother. At this point, I've had neither. I have missed plenty of periods because of stress. They just hit me harder than usual a month or two later. Pain in the butt but...you know, what can you do?" Suzaku sighed as Lelouchia pulled herself off of him. "Alright. Head inside and calm down some. I will be in after I get this nasty taste out of my mouth." Suzaku pecked her lips before vanishing into the truck. "Ew! Don't kiss me after I vomit!" she called after him. She chuckled a little.

"When are you going to tell him the truth?" C.C. asked as she stepped out from behind the truck.

"Tell him what?"

"That you already got an ultrasound and have been having morning sickness for the past three days?" Lelouchia fixed her with a glare.

"I don't need comments from an immortal witch. And right now, Suzaku's head needs to be clear. We have a goal and it must be met. If we can succeed before the child is born, fantastic. If not, then we'll figure it out."

"If you insist princess. But you could just use that power of yours to-" Lelouchia shot a glare at the girl, silencing her instantly.

"I will not _ever _use it on him. Nor any of my subordinates. Its better to have people truly be dedicated to you by choice as opposed to ordering them to do so."

"And should Suzaku find out you just lied to him? Or that you're going to keep lying to him for the next better part of a year until the child is born... What then?"

"Hopefully, he'll understand my reasons. We're outnumbered out here and we're cut off from our supplies. There's enough stress involved here without him worrying about becoming a father."

"Well, its not my problem anyway." Lelouchia smirked, somewhat wickedly.

"It very well might be your problem, witch. If I go down, you go down with me." C.C. sighed and turned to leave. The ravenette shook her head and sighed. "Now then. Since that's done." She slowly walked into the truck and smiled at her sisters as they turned to her.

"Are you alright Sissy?" Nunnally asked. "Suzaku said you threw up." Lelouchia smiled warmly at the girl and ran her fingers through her hair.

"I'm okay Nunna. Really I am." Nunnally nodded and returned to folding the paper in front of her. "Paper cranes again?"

"Yea. I heard from a Japanese soldier that there's an old story where if you fold a thousand of them, your wish will come true. It already came true with you." The ravenette wrapped an arm around her sister before sitting down next to her.

"What will you wish for this time?" she asked.

"For peace."

"And I'm going to wish for everyone to stay happy and healthy," Euphie said as she finished her own crane and put it in a line of five. Lelouchia smiled.

"Do you want to make some?" Nunnally asked. Lelouchia chuckled a little.

"I already have my wish come true. I wished to return home for five years and now look. I'm home now."

"But this isn't Britannia or a house," Nunnally pointed out.

"I know that. But wherever my family is, wherever the ones I treasure most are, I will be at home. Heck, we could be in a cold, dank cave right now or the Aries Villa and either way, I'd be home so long as you, Euphie, Sncheizel, Cornelia, Suzkau and everyone else were with me." Euphie smiled and placed her hand over her sister's. Lelouchia returned the gesture.

The door hissed open and Jeremiah stepped in.

"Please excuse me, Your Highnesses. But Cécile informed me that Nina has yet to report to the medical team to be checked up with. However, one of my men says she tried drowning herself. He took her back to her quarters. How do you wish us to proceed?" Lelouchia's face fell a little.

"Do not force her. If she does not want to go now, move on to the next girl. As for the suicide attempt, keep an eye on her." Jeremiah nodded before turning towards the door. Lelouchia sighed into her hands.

"Jeremiah, wait a moment. Nina was one of the girls you brought back, correct Lelouchia?" Euphie asked.

"Yes. She was raped by a Yakuza member a couple weeks before we left and she thinks she's pregnant. She was practically in hysterics whenever anyone called her Hana, her Japanese name, or mentioned the possibility of Yakuza or a child."

"Poor girl. Would it be alright if I went to see her?" Euphie asked, earning a curious look from Lelouchia. "In this kind of time, I think she just needs someone to help her along. Jeremiah, will you escort me to her please?" Jeremiah nodded and Euphie quickly followed him out the door.

Lelouchia sighed as the door shut. Suzaku put a hand on her shoulder.

"You alright?"

"Just fine. Hopefully Euphie can get through to Nina and we can figure this whole debacle cleared up."

* * *

><p>Euphie knocked tentatively on the door.<p>

"Hello? Nina?"

"Go away! I said I'm not coming out!"

"Well, I don't want you to come out, I want to come in. So we can talk. May I?"

"Did Lelouchia or Milly or any of them send you?"

"No. I came of my own accord."

"Who are you?"

"My name's Euphie." The door opened a crack and Euphie smiled. "Jeremiah, stay out here please." The man nodded as Euphie went in and shut the door behind her. "Thank you for letting me come in," she said softly as Nina huddled in her cot, a dark wet spot appearing under her dripping clothes.

"You're a Britannian princess. I had no choice."

"You always have a choice Nina," Euphie said as she sat down next to Nina. She placed a hand on the shivering girl's shoulder. "You need to get out of these clothes before you catch a cold."

"I don't care what happens at this point. I want…_it_…gone. Who cares about me anyway? My parents did nothing to stop the Yakuza from taking Ashford and I'm not the least bit pretty. I might as well just stop it all now." Euphie's eyes teared up a little.

"Nina, you mustn't say such things about yourself or the child. Its not good."

"I don't care! I never wanted a Yakuza husband or to be pregnant before I turned eighteen! I hate it!"

"Nina, a child cannot be blamed for its parentage. For instance, look and Leloichia and me. We came from the same father but had very different mothers. Lelouchia's mother fought with everything she had to protect her children before she was killed. Yet my mother…she told the Yakuza where to find the babies, where Nunnally and the other little children were so she could try to save herself. But she was Emperor Charles' consort. That alone, was enough to kill her. If it hadn't been for my mother, more of the Britannian Imperial family would be alive. But does that make me a bad person?"

"No! P-princess Euphemia. You're a good person but…this…" The pink-haired princess wrapped her hands around Nina's.

"How about I help you?" Nina's eyes widened a little. "If you let me, I can help you through your pregnancy and I'll even help raise the baby if you chose to keep it. If not, I'll adopt it. Sound fair?"

"Why are you being so kind to me?"

"Because you're one of my people. And I want to help my people however I can. So, will you let me help you?" Nina nodded and Euphie smiled. "Good. Now then. Jeremiah will escort us back to my truck and we'll get you changed. Then we can move you right in."

* * *

><p>Lelouchia bit down on her lip as she marked off parts of a map and groaned as she leaned back in her seat. C.C. looked over at her contractor as Suzaku looked up from the book in front of him.<p>

"What is it now?" she asked.

"We may not have enough firepower to take even a small factory at this point."

"Must you really be so concerned about supplies? I mean you have had-"

"Shut up witch!" Lelouchia hissed. "If I wanted Schneizel and Cornelia to know that I've had the Black Knights doing drug and shipping raids the past two weeks, I'd have told them by now. But I'd never hear the end of it."

"And yet you seem troubled. Why? We're doing good so far," Suzaku pointed out.

"One tiny gang goes down, two more take its place. Fighting the Yakuza is like fighting a Hydra without fire." The door hissed open as Ohgi and Kallen walked in, dressed in their Black Knight attire.

"Well, I think we've got our fire now," Kallen said with a wide smile as Ohgi handed a carefully folded envelope to the raven-haired girl.

"There's kanji. Can you read it?" she asked as she handed it to Suzaku. He opened it up and looked it over, a grin growing on his face every second.

"I may be a bit rusty but if I'm right, the Kyoto group want to meet with us."

"Us as in…"

"The leaders of the Black Knights as well as our best combatants." Lelouchia sighed as she rubbed her neck. "What is it?"

"Schneizel had me make Rolo a Black Knight. Our best combatants? Sounds a bit like a trap to me. If we take our best combatants, we leave the rest of the Black Knights nearly defenseless and Nunnally's best guard will not be able to respond to her quickly."

"True, but before you invest in a company, you want to know what exactly you're buying," Suzaku said. Lelouchia nodded. And we're not completely defenseless without the Black Knights here. There's the Glaston Knights and the Knights of the Round."

"And we can request Nunnally be left with Cornelia and Schneizel while we're at this meeting," C.C. said blandly as she hugged a pillow to her form. "I'm hungry."

"Who said you were coming?" Kallen asked.

"I am the reason Lelouchia had so much success at the hotel jacking. After all, she has a Geass now."

"Geass?" Ohgi asked. Lelouchia turned and the red bird appeared in her eye before she pulled up her shirt to reveal the sigil on her back.

"It's a power that both my parents had. When I was born, C.C. made first contact with me, as she did several of my younger siblings before the takeover, leaving each of us with this sigil. From what she told me as a child, I understand Geass changes from person to person. My mother never used hers while my father would use his as a sort of Witness Protection Program; wipe a person's old memories and replace them with new ones. From what I can tell, my own Geass is the ability to give an order to anyone and they will obey it."

"And when did you get this power?" Kallen asked cautiously, casting a wary glance at C.C.

"During the hotel jacking. I made a contract with C.C. which is strictly between us I'm afraid. But, rest assured I will never attempt to use it on any of you. You have my word."

"Mainly because I'm immune to it," C.C. bragged, earning her a glare from Lelouchia. "What?"

"Shut it witch."

* * *

><p>Lelouchia leaned back a little into Suzaku's chest as she gazed out at darkly tinted windows that reflected the interior of the car back to them. Rolo tapped a finger against his knee, while Jeremiah, C.C., Sayoko and Ohgi all sat quietly. Next to Ohgi was a young woman with pale caramel skin, golden eyes and long silver hair tied in a ponytail on the side of her head. Suzaku wrapped his arm around Lelouchia lazily before he relaxed back into the seat and began to doze. Kallen was already sleeping against the door.<p>

Lelouchia's violet eyes wandered over their group again. The edge of a gun was hidden under Jeremiah and Ohgi's black jackets. Sayoko had hidden her own weapons in her black kimono. The woman, Villetta Nu, hid a gun under the folds of her dark pink kimono. Kallen, C.C. and herself were unarmed. She could feel the butt of Suzaku's gun dig in her lower back and the hard side of a knife rested against her hip, hidden in his sleeve. Rolo was dressed in a black suit, occasionally pulling out a switchblade, looking it over, sheathing it then hiding it in whatever part of his clothing her felt like.

The ravenette pulled her knees up and rested her hands on her stomach. A part of her wanted to rub circles over the baby growing inside her as she had seen other mothers in the Aries Villa in her childhood do, but a wary glance at a fully-awake Sayoko and alert Jeremiah cut off those thoughts. Her hand touched Suzaku's and she felt his fingers twitch. He nuzzled the back of her neck a little and she smiled. She allowed her thoughts wander to what could be. If the child came into a peaceful world where neither she nor Suzaku or anyone had to worry about the Yakuza or their allies. Would he nuzzle them lovingly in the middle of a nap as he did her?

She moved and guided his head to her lap, carding his hair with her fingers as he dozed on. Her smile turned a little sad as he turned towards her so he faced their unborn, hidden child. She'd thought about telling him a multitude of times. But she didn't want him to get distracted. A distracted soldier was a dead soldier and she was going to need him.

The car lurched, snapping Suzaku and Kallen back to awareness. Rolo snapped out his knife and ran his thumb over the edge of the hilt. The car continued to move but Lelouchia could feel no rumble of an engine under her feet.

"What's going on?" Kallen yawned.

"I'd say the meeting is going to take place very soon," Lelouchia said as she glanced out the window. Suzaku put an arm around her.

"Nervous?" he asked.

"If we're dealing with the person I think we are, then there's no reason to be nervous. But if not, then I have no room to be nervous. In these affairs, it doesn't matter who has the bigger army or the most KnightMares. It matters who has the best resources and who has the most access to those resources. And to these people, results matter. If I come off as weak or useless as a leader, they'll go right back to the Yakuza and we can kiss our sorry butts good-bye."

"This is my fight too. Don't forget that," he whispered as he pressed a kiss to the ravenette's temple. Lelouchia took hold of his hand and gave it a small squeeze.

The car came to a stop and the doors opened, letting the company out into a room lit by red lights with a high ceiling and steel supports. Four KnightMare frames stood by two human guards by an ornate box covered in black silk with gold patterns. The person sitting within wore a black kimono and his withered hands held a long cane.

"Which of you is the leader?" he asked, his old voice gruff and commanding, a sharp contrast to his frail appearance. Lelouchia stepped forward, untying her kimono and letting it fall off to reveal her Guinevere uniform underneath.

"I am, sir." The man made a noise as if deciding something.

"My my my, what have we here? Takahiro Reiko if I'm not mistaken." Lelouchia's muscles clenched. "Tell me my dear, why shouldn't I just kill your escorts and take you back to your husband? I'm quite certain he'd pay a pretty coin to have you back."

"I am not Takahiro Reiko. My name is Princess Lelouchia vi Britannia of the Holy Britannian Empire, daughter of Emperor Charles zi Britannia and his wife, Marianne, third princess of the Holy Britannian Empire, leader of the Black Knights and pilot of the Guinevere. The only ties to the Yakuza I have are Sayoko Shinozaki and five years of my life stolen from me. The reason you won't take me back to Masamune is because you want him and his organization gone as much as I do, Kirihara Taizo," she said. Suzaku took his place at her side and his suit fell away to reveal the Lancelot uniform underneath. The guards drew their guns.

"Anyone who can recognize him must die." The guards froze as the blades of knives pressed against their throats and muzzles of guns pressed to the backs of their heads. C.C. and Kallen took their places next to Lelouchia as Ohgi put himself in between the guards and Lelouchia.

"Anyone who threatens Her Highness must also die," Jeremiah growled as he and Viletta clicked their guns.

"Before the takeover, you were a key member of the Kururugi advisory group and a key player in the arranged marriage between Suzaku Kururugi and myself. But once the Yakuza came into the picture, you used your monopoly on Sakuradite, a valuable component of KnightMare manufacturing, to strike a deal. Since then, most people know you as Kirihara the Traitor. But in reality, you're one of the leaders of the Kyoto group, who aids the enemies of the Yakuza, how cliché."

"Stand down," Kirihara said to his men. Once the men did as told, the Black Knights put their weapons away and moved behind Lelouchia. Kirihara smiled a little. "Its been seven years since I last saw you two," he said as Lelouchia and Suzaku moved closer to him.

"My cousin was with you the night of the takeover. Is she..."

"She's currently living with the Empress of China," Kirihara assured. "She'll be ecstatic to hear you're still alive. And as for you, princess. You seem more like your mother than ever. Seems the seed she planted in your heart has finally bloomed."

"It did the night Zero took her life," Lelouchia said softly.

"Which of you is the leader of the Black Knights after this girl?" Kirihara asked. Ohgi stepped forward.

"I am sir," he said. "My name is Kaname Ohgi."

"Ohgi, see to it your men continue to follow and protect this girl and in return the Kyoto group will assist the Britannian-Japanese army in whatever way is needed." Lelouchia nodded and bowed respectively before turning to leave. "Princess..." She turned back to the old man for a moment as he pushed his curtain out of his way. "Do you intend to venture on the path of blood?"

"I already have. It may not be the first or the last time I spill blood, but when I find Zero, I will kill him," she said firmly. "Not one of us in this room are not soldiers at this point. None of us are naïve enough to think we'll all make it out of this alive. We know we will feel pain a suffer before anything gets better and some of us may not escape this war alive." Kirihara nodded again. "But right now, the BJA needs a permanent stronghold. Do you know of any place?" she asked. Kirihara pondered it for a moment.

"My men will follow you to your encampment and the Kyoto group will allow you to take what you need. You'll fight the Yakuza in the Narita mountains. If you can win, you can take the mountain as your stronghold. The Kyoto group knows of another enemy of the Yakuza trying to fight back from there."

"Who leads them?" Lelouchia asked.

"General Katase Tatewaki. It is also heard that Tohdoh and his Four Holy Swords are in that mountain." Suzaku gripped Lelouchia's wrist and squeezed. The ravenette nodded and turned back to the car. Jeremiah helped her in and cast a glance at Suzaku before the two got in and shut the door.

In no time, the group was back on the move.

"Tohdoh..." Suzaku breathed. Lelouchia put a hand on his knee and he looked up at her.

"We'll find him," she assured. "And he's not stupid. He knows how to plan a battle, even against the Yakuza. He's not called the Miracle Worker for nothing." Suzaku nodded.

* * *

><p>Suzaku tapped his fingers against the file folder on the table in front of him as Lelouchia took a seat on the opposite side of him.<p>

"Do you know what this is?" he asked. She shook her head. "Its the medical file Miss Cécile put together for you. Can you imagine my surprise when I saw this?" He opened the file and pointed at the ultrasound picture inside. Lelouchia glanced at it then back to the pilot across from her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We're in the middle of a war Suzaku. We're moving out to fight a battle as we speak. The both of us are soldiers. A distracted soldier is a dead soldier. I've seen how hard it is for girls here to be raising babies on their own. I know I cannot do it alone. So I figured, I could tell you at a later time."

"Even if it meant the baby was born first?"

"Yes. Because neither the BJA nor myself can lose you. If I had told you I was pregnant and then went into battle or even to the meeting the other night, you would always want to protect me. Those kinds of weaknesses are the kinds the Yakuza exploit, no matter the cost." Suzaku stood up and pulled Lelouchia into his arms.

"I know that. But I also know you can take care of yourself. You did it for five years after all. But don't make me a bad father just because you're scared. For now, we'll do what we can to fight back while keeping both of you safe as well. And if something comes up where Miss Cécile says you need to stop, then you're going to stop piloting for a bit. Alright?" Lelouchia nodded as Suzaku placed a hand on her stomach. "So when..."

"The night of the hoteljacking. I'm almost two months along now," she said with a smile. "But that also brings up one more thing."

"Hm?"

"When are we telling my family?" Suzaku groaned and rested his head on Lelouchia's shoulder, dreading telling the Witch of Britannia he'd impregnated her younger sister.

* * *

><p><strong>BZ: So next comes Narita. Um...anyone got something to say or ask? Review please! Happy holidays! Also, my updates may become more spaced out as something personal has occurred in my life and it will be taking up a lot of my time. <strong>


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